


New Winter

by Addictive_Writer



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies), Thor - All Media Types
Genre: After Thor: The Dark World Spoilers, Age Difference, Angst, Character Death, Cheating, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, FrostIron - Freeform, Heavy Drinking, Hot wigs, Iron Man 3 Spoilers, M/M, Magic, Moral Ambiguity, Multi, Reborn - Freeform, Romance, Seduction, Thor: The Dark World Spoilers, Underage Drinking, mentions of torture, young loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-08-06
Packaged: 2018-01-09 11:49:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 65,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1145618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Addictive_Writer/pseuds/Addictive_Writer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three years after the events of Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, Tony Stark has officially retired Iron Man. How ironic could it be that it was the death of Loki that pushed him to hang up the suit? Stuck in a standstill in his life, Tony truly thought that nothing else would get him to put on the suit. That was, until a chance encounter with a ghost of his past. Who is this kid and why does he surprisingly look like a dead god? And why Tony can't get him out of his head?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Approaching Storm

**Author's Note:**

> This story has spoilers from both Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World. The ending of the Thor movie does not exist, Loki really did die at the end.

The best thing about being a super-genius was the ability to think of new ways to keep secrets. Tony learned early on how to keep things in the dark and of course, when to feign the truth. Best time to activate his secondary super-power was when he missed a certain birthday or forgot about his notecards for a presentation. The best thing was to keep everything on the fly for the latter one, for the former; well…there was a need for secretaries. Tony Stark was the man of many secrets, more than he can count. However, there was no need to be fearful one spilling on accident. He could zip his lips when he can. 

Of course, there were secrets he was okay with the world knowing. Like the fact that he was a super-hero, playboy, and had somewhat of a drinking problem. The public ate it all up, those greedy little bastards. They could accept those kinds of truth, which was enough for Tony to have worst kind of secrets. They loved Iron Man, worshiped him and called out his name in both need of help and to celebrate him. The media had their panties wet over his playboy style, knowing that he was a treasure trove of gossip and scandal. The alcoholism they could easily forgive but, still have the look of sympathy on their faces as they wonder just how long until he succumbed to liver failure. There were even betting pools for that, catered and filled to the brim by those he had wronged in the past. Rumor had it that Tony even put a few thousands to that pool. 

Tony missed those days. He missed the public secrets. 

Tony felt worse than a prize pureblood dog after being neutered. Over the years, the playboy lifestyle waned as it was deemed unacceptable for an engaged man to, well, engaged in wild parties and letting himself wake up in the tangled limbs of some model or wannabe actress. His gold ring around his finger was worse than a chastity belt. He felt his chest constrict as he thought of the person who put it there. The modern woman she was, Pepper proposed marriage as they both knew that Tony wouldn’t get off his ass to do it. Of course, when someone asked, he would say that he was the one who proposed, in a grandstand of a show. Pepper Potts, or soon to be Pepper Stark, was too important to him to loose for saying ‘no’. A tiny flame sparked in the space where a full heart should reside. 

Pepper was his rock, there was no denying that. She kept him grounded and sane. With her help, the nightmares were all but gone. Tony refused to seek help, he was a self-reliant man and he couldn’t see himself on the couch of some quake with a certificate he could print out at home. There were still moments where he would wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat but, Pepper was always there to sooth him back down. As much as he loved Pepper, there were things that no one could understand. Things that was better to be left in the dark secrets pile that was growing rapidly.

After that stint with Killian and watching Pepper in peril because of him, he knew what he needed to do. She was targeted because he was Iron Man more than he was Tony Stark. If it meant that giving up Iron Man to keep Pepper safe, Tony would do anything for her. Yet, it wasn’t the event that sparked Tony being force to give up the mantle. 

Tony had no idea how Pepper managed to get Tony to bed that evening, as he always found working into the wee hours better. Still, it was always a good night when he had Pepper in his arms and there was no nightmares. Then a crack of thunder woke both of the bed’s occupants up. At first, Tony thought it was a nightmare but, with one look at the startled Pepper, it made it all too real. Wind was hollering at the windows, screaming in agony. Rain pelted everything without mercy and Tony swore he saw hail during summer. As much as Tony recalled, the skies were clear and the weatherman predicted sunny skies for all of that week in Malibu. Pepper gave a scream when a lightning bolt strike nearby, which turned the black skies bright blue. 

“Sir,” JARVIS could almost sound startled as they were. Hopefully, the sudden storm wasn’t damaging his circuits. Tony would hate to fiddle with reducing the static electricity output. “You have a visitor on the balcony.”

It was Pepper who pushed Tony to get out of bed, where she followed behind him. He was all to ready to tell the visitor to piss off but, Pepper needed to a sense of security that their guest wasn’t someone dangerous. Tony couldn’t see said guest through the glass doors, the night was darker than a black hole. Nature had a sense of dramatics as, on cue, lightning stroke something nearby. He felt Pepper’s nails dig into his arm as a figure emerged from the darkness. It felt good that she still thought of him as a hero even without the suit. Tony pulled his arm free from her grasp, a hollow feeling of relief echoing in his still healing chest.

Tony had faced down scored of enemies in his Iron Man days, he wasn’t afraid of a surprise guest. Still, he held in a breath and readied himself for any kind of attack. He pushed up the sliding glass doors, and faced that rather tall figure. Even without a solid light source, Tony could make out the bulky muscles and the golden hair of Thor. 

“You could have called ahead, Point Break,” Tony huffed in annoyance. “Even send an owl or whatever you-”

Another flash of lightning and Tony saw Thor’s face for the first time. Without another word, he guided the thunder god into his living room. Thor said nothing and let Tony guide him like a lost sheep without its herd. His skin was clammy under Tony’s hand, shaking in every breath, and Tony got a feeling that it wasn’t from the rain. By now, Pepper had turned on the lights, which was good because there was no way Tony could steer a god in the dark. 

“Tony-”

“Peps,” Tony kept his eyes focused on the wet god sitting on his leather couch. “Do me a solid and grab me a few glasses and the bottle of scotch under my desk.”

“Tony…” This time, she sounded really annoyed. It took close to a year for Tony to get off the hard liquor. Even then, Tony couldn’t get rid of the need for it. 

“Please…” Tony finally looked at her, his voice soft as to not upset Thor. “He needs it.”

With a sigh, Pepper nodded and walked out the room. Tony took a seat on the coffee table in front the god; he would have to get someone to clean the couch later on. Thor’s normally huge frame was doubled over, making him look as small (if not smaller) than regular humans. His blond hair stuck to his face thanks to the rain, his head titled down as if it took great strength to hold it up. Rain droplets rolled down his armor, catching on the elegant designs of the runes. Tony took note of the still healing scars that dusted across his bare arms. The blood that pooled down his skin made it seem like Thor’s very being was weeping.

Tony gave a small nod of thanks when Pepper passed him the cool bottle of bottle into his hands. He knew he would be reamed later for keeping stuff secret from her. Hopefully, it was after he dealt with this mess. He was glad that Thor was still aware of his surroundings as he took the offered glass of scotch. Tony would hate to force fed Thor. It would give too many of those strange, hero obsessed girls too many ideas.

“How did it happen?” Tony looked at the god over the rim of his glass. It didn’t take a genius to see the signs of grief on the god. God or not, he still had basic emotions, even if he tended to be extravagant about it. 

Scotch seemed to doing nothing to the god as he quickly down the drink. He would have to keep Thor down a few cups, Tony mused, and knowing that there was no way Pepper would allow him to get drunk just to comfort his friend. “By protecting me and thus ensuring the safety of Asgard,” Thor’s voice was heavy, as if he spent the day shouting. “He fought nobility.” 

Tony’s stomach sank when he heard Thor’s last words. There was only one person who could pull Thor through this much suffering. “Loki…” he breathed the god’s name. 

He could still feel the iron grip on his neck before he was thrown out of the window. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep those memories down. It was best if he didn’t bring up anything to sour Thor’s mourning. “Who woulda thought?” He muttered into his too little full glass. 

Luckily, Thor didn’t hear his comment. His face was covered in rain that it was hard to see any tears. It might be that those beefy Asgardian outlawed manly tears, no matter the reason. “Father refuses to acknowledge his deeds and his sacrifice. I fear that he has gone mad with grief with mother’s….” Thor choked on his words. Tony had to wince; boy, Thor was having shitty week. “I cannot face him during this time.”

“You are more than welcomed to stay here,” Tony was surprised how quickly those words came out. Maybe being away from his precious alcohol for so long was turning him into a lightweight. Pepper hadn’t protested yet. “Not here here of course. I got plenty of space in my tower in New York. You are welcomed to stay there until your daddy has chilled out.”

“I do not believe winter will benefit his moods,” Thor commented on it softly. Yet, the mention of a roof over his big head seemed to spring some light into those doey blue eyes of his. “And thank you, Man of Iron, for your hospitality.”

“Hey,” Tony snagged the rest of the scotch for his own. “Hospitality is my middle name.”

“I believe-”

“It’s a phrase, Goldlielocks,” Tony knocked back the soothing liquid quickly. “C’mon, you can get dried up and sleep in the guest room until we go to New York. Have you ever tried New York City pizza?”

And that is how it happened. Well, two things happened that night. One, after the invite he gave Thor, it seemed apparent that S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted in on the action and insisted that all the other Avengers would stay in the Tower. According to them, having them all stationed in one place would be beneficial in the long run. Tony didn’t mind it at first; it was only Thor and Bruce who took up the offer. Steve came by every so often but, Natasha and Clint had their own residents somewhere else. Those that stayed, they ever given their own floors to customize and do whatever they wanted with it, Tony had the money. Tony had never seen so much cliché zen décor than before walking into Bruce’s floor one day. It was going to the doctor’s job to clean up the sand. 

The other thing that happened was that Tony realized what would happen if he fell in battle like Loki. He didn’t like the idea of changing Thor’s place with Pepper, Rhodey, and hell, even Happy. Tony’s stomach gave a sick twist at the thought of someone else comforting his loved ones after he died in battle. He knew if he kept on this track, that he would die in that tin suit of his. Pepper was too happy to see Tony put up the Iron Man suit for good. 

Iron Man was gone but, it didn’t mean that Tony Stark was done with the suit. 

“Sir?” The robotic British voice pulled Tony out of his thoughts. 

Tony pushed himself out from under the car; he could feel the tale tall smudges of motor oil on his face. A badge of a true mechanic. Sitting up on the push cart, he regarded the AI with the same attitude as he did everyone else, with a wide grin and pet name. “Yes, Jay-Jay?”

“Miss Potts requests access to your labs,” JARVIS answered in response. 

“Let her in, Jarvis,”

Tony bounced onto his feet and grabbed a rag to clean his face as best as possible. As he lowered the rag from his face, he saw something that Pepper would freak out more than the time he put a spider in her shoe. He slammed his hand on a button on the nearby desk. The wall slid down from its secret shelf, it closed just as Pepper walked in and she was none the wiser. Tony held back a sigh of relief. Hey, he was still a man of secrets. 

It was always hard to tell when Pepper was in work clothes or in casual clothes; they barely made a difference from another. Tony felt the need to fly his fiancé to Paris to get some real clothes. Her red hair was pulled back into a bun at the base of her neck, not a curl out of place. At the sight of him, her pink lips lifted into a small smile as she breezed into Tony’s private sanctuary like she own the place. Tony felt the need to give her a smile back. 

“Look who is all hot today,” As much as they didn’t talk about Pepper’s experience with the extremis, Tony still felt like pushing against it. It wasn’t like they agreed to keep it a secret between them, Pepper just refused to answer any of Tony’s questions outside of getting it out of her. Tony was the man of secrets, not her. “And you don’t look bad yourself, my little spice girl.”

Pepper gave him a playful smack to his chest. Tony had to bit his cheek to keep from the grunt of pain from slipping. It had been three years since the events with Killian and three years since he removed his arc reactor. The area where it used to be was still tender and sore. Tony still refused to remove his shirt before bed. The scar was just as bad as the arc reactor. Still, the soothing touch of Pepper’s hand over his chest as a way to apologize was soothing. 

“I hope you haven’t forgotten tonight,” Pepper said, standing in close to him but far away where her clothes wouldn’t get stray oil droplets.

“Mmm…?” was Tony’s response he thought to distract her by stroking the small of her back. He could feel her shudder under his touch; good to know he still had the moves. Tony kissed the small nap of her neck, tasting the perfume that was hers and hers alone on her skin. He had no idea what she was talking about. 

Tony’s brain went through a mental calendar, hoping he would land on a special date. It wasn’t their anniversary; that was…some time later. They just had their dinner date last night. And he knew Pepper’s birthday wasn’t today, as she shared hers with Newton. Tony really needed a new personal assistant.

“Is it the charity fundraiser?” Tony muttered against her neck. Hopefully by pressing his lips closer to her, she would mishear him and say what was really happening. 

“At the Smith Museum.” Tony applauded himself for getting it right for once. Pepper pulled away, her cheeks barely pink from his touches. “They will have an auction of their works to help raise money for St. Mary’s children’s ward. Be sure to look your best. This is a black tie gala.”

Tony’s eyes flicked briefly over to the hidden wall behind him. With a grin, he gave his fiery lover a quick bow. “I always look my best.”

“Tuxedo and with a bowtie this time,” Pepper wasn’t in the mood to fall for his childish smirk. “And two drink maximum! Be ready to go at seven.”

And without any farewell or even a kiss, Pepper walked out of the lab with a click of her heels. Tony didn’t know what was going through his much better half but, he could see that she was hiding something from him. Either some pent up anger or some secret. Well, if she could ever forgive him for the big secret he kept then, he could forgive her as well. There was no relationship without their secrets and Tony was perfectly happy to accept it. 

Tony just hoped that his pile of secrets wouldn’t sweep him up in a tidal. Or worst, explode in front of him. He didn’t need another arc reactor to keep the pain away. Once was enough. 

“Jar,” Tony moved back his current project. “Do a quick count of how much scotch is left.”

“You have two full bottles left, sir.”

“Order five more and keep it under the same old alias.” 

Scotch was a good substitute for the reactor.


	2. Winter Clothes

Tony could make anything look good, it was a natural gift. He could walk in a room wearing a suit made out of meat and he would look amazing in it! Tony Stark can easily out-do Lady Gaga. He just regretted that he didn’t at least slip on a meat sock before heading out tonight. It would be something different than the sea of black that was threatening to engulf him. All around him, men wore expensive tuxedos and women abusing the term ‘little black dress’ by their own attire. It was as if everyone was going to a funeral. Tony snorted into his glass, it was a bon voyage for their money not a cold body. 

The whole museum was outfitted with tables filled with finger foods and plenty of drink, a ploy by the fundraising company. They probably thought that by piling the patrons with plenty of food and drink that they would bid a great deal over a piece of canvas and paint. The art that was going to be auction would take place once everyone was stuffed to the brim. They would too dull down to think straight. Clever trick but, to get Tony to buy anything, they would have to bribe him something better than pigs in blanket and watered down vodka. 

The only reason why Tony was here was because Pepper had dragged him out. He loved Pepper but, there came a point. And apparently that point was modern are. Modern art just set him ridged with hatred at it. It was a giant con game (a game Tony regretted not being apart of) that put more value on the artist than the art itself. 

The billionaire tapped his glass for another refilled, which the bartender did without another peep. Last time, the bartender was insisting that he would slow down. Ha! Many bartenders have tried and failed. Still, it was still one drink of two that Tony promised Pepper that he would have. Did it still count as one if he got the bartender to refill his whiskey glass at the half-way point? Just as long as he enough a strong enough buzz to tolerate the rest of the evening, then schematics didn’t matter. 

Tony looked over the sea of black, hoping to find his lifesaver of red. Pepper was lost in the crowd, making the idea of rescuing impossible. She was probably out surfing the crowd, appeasing clients or potential clients. Or just having fun. Which left Tony alone. He didn’t want to pick up his phone and call her back. He was a grown man, not a needy child. The genius settled finding his own entertainment for the night. 

As soon as he crossed the threshold of the lobby and into the actual museum, Tony could finally breathe. He wasn’t going to drown anytime soon. Tony navigated the museum in the low lights, just letting his feet take him wherever. The museum was different at night, there was an extra layer of stillness to it that very few got to enjoy, as if time had frozen much like the paintings that hung on the walls. Tony wasn’t so keen on the silence part but, it sure beat the noise in the lobby.  
Tony walked in the semi-darkness, his fingers rubbing over the plastic of his cell phone. He would call Pepper over later, maybe offer her the chance for them to create their own art together. That would be for another time. Tony didn’t want to break the spell that had fallen over him. She could enjoy the party as long as she pleased, just as long as she spent his money wisely. Pepper could do a better job at than him.

Walking through the galleries was like walking through a time tunnel, each painting pinpointed an exact moment in someone’s life. Tony wondered if the people in the paintings were people of significant or were just a good model for the artist. When, not if, thousands of artists flocked to him to immortalize him, Tony would make sure everyone remembered who he was. Tony Stark would not go down as history as just a sentence in a history book. He would go out with a full ten volume set to his name. 

He was nearing the 16th century gallery when he noticed a figure standing in the opposite room. Tony had to quickly backpedal, as to confirm what he saw was real. Even with the low lights, it was hard to make out the figure in the gallery as they were dressed in all black. A black suit with black hair that swept across the edge of their neck, falling over their head like black ink, they easily blended into the shadows. 

Even from this distance (and from the faint buzz), Tony knew his fellow survivor of the black sea was a guy by the way his shoulders were wide and how he stood. Whoever he was, he wasn’t responding to Tony’s footfalls as his face was turned up at the painting in front of them. One thing about Tony was that he hated being ignored. Tony waited until he was right at the guy’s side before clearing his throat loudly. He waited until he stood to the side of the gender confusing figure before clearing his throat. Tony kept his eyes forward, as to act as innocent as he could, as his fellow survivor jumped in surprised. From the corner of his eye, he got a chance to look at him. 

It was hard to dub the guy as a man, especially with his soft baby face. He was more of a child than a real man. Tony didn’t doubt that he was a son of one of the guests, probably ran off to get away from the old folks. Even though this boy followed the same color code as everyone else, there was something off about his attire. The pants that covered his long legs were a few shades darker than his suit jacket. The suit jacket looked better on a man a few sizes wider than this skinny creature, as the shoulders stuck out a few inches and the cuffs was raised an inch above his wrists. A thin black line wrapped around the kid’s wrists and through the fog of his “one” drink, Tony could see some curls around the edges, as if the tattoo was made out of words. 

“Nice painting, isn’t it?” Tony gave the kid a grin. Hopefully the kid hadn’t wet his pants. 

“Y-yeah,” his new young friend responded back. “It’s great…really moving.”

Tony snorted into his glass again. The kid sounded like Tony was going to eat him up. Even though he looked small enough, Tony didn’t think he would get anything out from gnawing on lean meat. “Relax, kiddo. I ain’t going to grade you on your performance. Though,” a slow, toothy smirk stared to form. “If you want to raise your grade, we can figure something out after class.”

Tony wanted to see his work in person, he relished in see his work pay off. A flirt here and there never hurt anyone. Tony turned his head to see how red the kid could be but, as he found outm was the more startled one. The kid looked no older than twenty but, even through, the resemblance was unremarkable! Tony was seeing the face of a god that was dead. He even had black hair but, rather rolling off his shoulders, it was cut short and looked as if someone spent hours running their fingers through. It was nothing like the sleek black hair that haunted Tony’s dreams. This man in front of him had the similar cheekbones that fitted perfectly with his narrow face. The slightly rounded nose look strange on anyone else’s face fitted snuggled in the middle of his face, thin pink lips were stretching into a ‘O’ as a blush crossed his cheeks. 

“I uh…” There was no sharp edge to his voice, it didn’t even sound as deep as Tony remembered. “What?”

Tony was apparently staring long enough for this…Loki copy to physically show discomfort, making his blush go deeper reed. Tony rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t just seeing things again. Thor confirmed (many times, over tears and chocolate ice cream) that Loki was dead. Apparently, instead of burying the body or putting it in an urn, Asgardians sent their dead into space to become stars. Tony wasn’t sure about that process but, it was enough to confirm that Loki as gone from this world. 

Until he laid his eyes on this guy. 

There was a strange softness to this Loki wannabe’s face as if the sands of time had dulled the sharp edge of his face, making his cheekbones not as sharp as Tony remembered. Instead of poison green eyes wild with chaos and mischief, two baby blue eyes filled with anticipation of what was to come next blinked at him. There was a tiny amount of fear in those eyes. Fear was never a good thing to see in someone, even if the kid looked like Loki’s son. Tony didn’t want to know if those myths were true (he would need a few more drinks for that). 

“Nothing,” Tony looked away as to not make the kid’s blood move all to his face. “Name’s Tony-”

“Stark. You are….Tony Stark,” there was intake of breath to the kid’s voice, as if he scarred about talking out of turn. “I mean…of course I know who you are. Everyone knows Tony Stark and Iron Man. You are famous.”

Tony chuckled into his glass, “Good to know I still have groupies.” Good Lord, the kid was going to keel over from too much blood in his face. “This is the part where you introduce yourself. You know…Etiquette 101.” 

“Oh…” The kid was not so forthcoming as Tony thought. All the kids he knew that sprang from the cash filled lions of the rich loved to have their named called out. It gave them instant prestige. “I’m a nobody.”

“Hi nobody, I’m Tony Stark.” Tony gave him a tiny wave. All he got in response was a confused stare. “Just give me the name your mom calls you and we can end this game.”

The Loki wannabe blinked at him and starred at him as if Tony grew two heads. With one pat on his shoulder, Tony confirmed that he indeed just had one head. “Liam Talbot.” he said after a while, he sounded as if it hurt to say it.

“Now, was that so hard?” Apparently by the wince, it was. Tony didn’t know of any local businessman or millionaire with the last name of Talbot. Hell, Tony didn’t know have of the names of his own employees much less the people who had too much wealth for one life. Maybe Talbot was a heavier name than he realized. 

“So, Mr. Talbot,” Tony was taking pleasure in watching the boy’s cheeks pinked at his purr. Talbot was just too much of an easy victim to not taunt. Talbot was starting to become his night’s entertainment. “What do you think of the painting?” The boy opened his lips. “And don’t just say ‘it’s good’…I want a good response.”

Liam snapped his mouth closed and looked back at the painting. Tony followed his sight and tried to guess what was in his head. Again, Tony was not an art collector and had no idea if the piece in front of him was valuable or not. Still, the actually painting was something appealing to it. A stone cove arched along the frame of the painting, darken by the little light. Outside the stony arch was a man on top of a horse, his face drawn towards the foreboding cliff in front of him. By the way the angles were painted; it looked like the cliff was a stone creature with its head looking down at the man, as if he was nothing by a bug. Tony could almost hear the raging waters crashing against the stone claw of the stone beast. There was something wild and dangerous about it. 

Liam’s expressive eyes were moving so rapidly, it was as if he was mentally painting the painting himself. “It…” he said after a while. His voice sounded dry and Tony watched a tiny pink tongue dart to wet his lips. “It is epic.”

He had no idea why he laughed but, it startled them both. “Epic?” Tony gave the young kid a grin. “Is that what the kids are using these days?”

For a kid his age, Liam knew how to glare sharply at Tony. He wasn’t finding him as enjoyable as Tony was to him. “Yes. It is epic,” his eyes rolled before looking back at the painting. “In the sense that it is a page from an episodic story, not the modern interruption of it.” He took Tony’s silence as a cue to continue on. “This piece by Roos Philp Peter looks like a typical landscape painting from the mid 17th century but, if you look at it, I mean really look at it, it is something more. The rider is a solider, given the state of his armor but, nothing is grand about it. Rather than have the horse raise its head, it is just gazing on the dry fauna nearby. This gives me the impression that this man is simple.

“Not simple as in dumb but, that his quest that he is one which is better left to stronger knights. The shadow on the cliff gives up the impression of a monster that he is about to encounter. Yet, with the beast being viewed only by our imagination, shows that this lone common solider is going to face against not epic monsters but, of something much large. Life. He is the everyman trying to go on a journey to understand the wide world of life.”

Tony blinked, wondering if he just imagined Liam’s words. For a rich kid, he had better brains the ones he had encounter. It took a lot to impress Tony and even more to get him to admit to it. “You sound like a tour guide, Talbot.”

“Like I said,” clear blue eyes looked at him, giving him a peek at how easy age was just a number for some people. “I am a nobody.”

It was the cocky smirk that sent Tony into a fit of laughter. He felt his lungs on fire as he bent over; he let the mirth pull him down. Over his laughing, Liam was laughing as well but, it was a more pleased sound to it, as if he was glad that Tony was laughing. Tony wheezed as he wiped away a stray tear. 

“Jesus, kid, you got a wicked tongue on you.” Tony raised his glass in salute. “You should learn better control of it.”

“Care to show me how, Mr. Stark?” The sudden purr in Liam’s voice sent a shock through his system. Apparently, he wasn’t the only who was startled by Liam’s words. A fresh coat of red colored his soft golden skin as eyes were as wide as Tony’s old arc reactor. “I mean,” the kid was sputtering. “I didn’t mean. Oh god…” Liam covered his face with his hands, as if it was enough to make him invisible. 

Tony found himself liking that shade of red on Liam’s face. At that thought, another shock shot through him, this time with warning bells. It was not a good idea to think of a kid that was barely a twinkle in his father’s eye when Tony was finishing his first patent. Still, he felt bad for the kid’s shot at a flirt. 

“Hey,” Tony shrugged his shoulder with disinterest, as to settle the nervous that coming off of Liam. “I would flirt with me if I had the chance. I am the sexy genius that everyone wants and wants to be.” Why didn’t his mouth communicate with his head half the time? 

Liam peeked through his fingers at the retired superhero. His blue eyes were shaded with curiosity, with a sparkle of interest to continue. Tony needed a way to stop this before he found himself into deep trouble. He needed a distraction, he needed….

“Tony?”

Ah! His knight-not-so-shiny-as-his-armor-in armor! 

“Hey, Pepper!” Tony tore his eyes off the kid. “Been looking for you.” It wasn’t an actual lie. 

Pepper always looked good in anything, be it a nice business skirt or one of his shirts (and shirt only). Her soft blue dress moved like water as she walked on her heels (Tony didn’t need the reminder at how short he was), her red hair curled over her shoulder as a diamond studded clip held it in place. Instead of looking at him, her eyes moved towards his new young friend. 

“Who is this?” There was a high pitch to her voice, as if the fact that Tony make new friends was a surprise. Or it could be wondering why Tony was still grinning like a cat who got the milk while Liam’s face had yet to cool down. 

Liam jumped when Tony patted him on his shoulder. Standing next to him, Liam only had an inch to tower over Tony. “Pepper, this is Liam Talbot. Liam, this is Pepper Potts.”

“H-how do you do?” Tony could see the huge lump as Liam swallowed. Was this kid always a nervous wreck?

While Pepper was giving him a smile in return, Tony saw glint in her eyes that he was all too familiar with. She was looking at Liam like she would when she knew that Tony was hiding something from her. As far as Tony knew, Liam was as innocent as a spring daisy. “It is nice to meet you, Mr. Talbot.”

Before Tony could continue on with his conversation with Liam, he felt Pepper’s hand curl on his arm. With a strength that was surprising for a woman her statue, Tony found himself pulled closer to his fiancé. “Tony,” he knew she was speaking to him but, her eyes were still on Liam. Tony felt the need to protect the poor kid. “The auction is about to start. We should get going.” By the tone in her voice, it wasn’t a suggestion. 

He wasn’t Tony Stark if he just simply gave into orders. “How about it, kiddo? Care to join me and my lovely date for the auction? I would love for you to appraise the art so I know what I am getting.”

Liam chewed his lip; he was looking torn between following Tony and something else. “I can’t…” Whatever it was, it was more important than Tony. “I have something to do.”

Tony strongly resisted ruffling up his black hair. “Alright. Catch me later, Talbot.”

He nodded like an obedient solider. His blue eyes darted toward Pepper before he launched himself forward. Tony felt the air pull out of his lungs as Liam wrapped his arms around him. “Thank you,” Liam looked up at him, a small smile on his face. “For saving us time and time again.” Liam gave Tony one gentle squeezed before untangling himself from a surprised billionaire. “It’s been a great honor meeting you, Iron Man.”

“Yeah…you too.” 

“Good evening, Miss Pepper,” Liam gave her a quick bow before running off in the opposite direction. 

“Cute kid,” Tony admitted out loud as he watched the strange boy leave. “Cute but weird.”

“You should stay away from him, Tony.” Pepper had that stern voice that Tony associated with her CEO persona.

“And since when did you start telling me who I can hang out with or not?” Tony folded his arms and stared her down. “I am a big boy; I don’t need you telling me who I can be friends with.”

Pepper’s lips were tight; she wasn’t frowning or looking jealous. She looked hurt. However, the mask was quickly slipped on and she looked at Tony with concern. “Just be careful. Ok?”

Tony leaned over and peeked her on the cheek, hoping the small gesture was enough to break the frown on her pretty lips. “Alright, I will be careful,” he wrapped an arm around her waist. “And I will be home just as the streetlights turn on.”

Pepper’s resolve was stronger than he thought but, still, it could break. She laughed softly and shook her head. “You are such a child,” she teased. “A cocky, silly, rowdy child.”

“If I am such a rowdy child,” Tony leaned in and breathed softly into her ear. “Then this child needs to be punished.” There was a small hitch in her breath. 

“How much have you been drinking?” Pepper pushed herself away from Tony, the same stern face was back on again. It made her face look pinched. “I told you two drinks.”

“And I just had the one,” Tony gestured to his half empty glass. It was a lie and they both knew it. “Come on, Pepper…I can’t be in the same room with these people. They are insufferable.”

Her hands balanced against her hips. “Insufferable or not, most of these people are our company’s shareholders. We can’t let them see you fall over drunk and make a fool of yourself. Think of the stock prices.”

“We? Don’t you mean ‘you’?” Tony stepped forward. “Because they could care less on how I act just as long as our products are the best. They know me as the lovable, cheeky, party boy that I am. They know Tony Stark. You know Tony Stark.”

“Sometimes I wish I didn’t.” Pepper said stone cold. She wasn’t even looking at him anymore. “No more drinks for the rest of the week. You have enough for to last you a month. ” Without waiting for a response, Pepper turned and walked out of the gallery as if there was no reason to stay. 

“Pepper!” Tony yelled but, Pepper didn’t even look back. “Come on, baby! Pepper!”

Tony’s chest fell as he found himself alone in the dim gallery. He sighed and looked back at the painting Liam was so fond of. With the low lights and the emptiness of it all, Tony felt as if he was stuck in cove but, with no horse to guide him out, Tony was stuck. 

“Damn it all…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The painting is Landscape with a Grotto by Roos Philipp Peter. Link to the picture is here: http://www.oceansbridge.com/paintings/museums/hermitage/Roos%20Philipp%20Peter-xx-Landscape%20with%20a%20Grotto-xx-Second%20half%20of%20the%2017th%20-%20early%2018th%20century.jpg
> 
> I would love to thank my beta reader, Apo for helping me through this chapter and fueling my insanity. I am going to try and keep it where each Tuesday, there will be a new chapter.


	3. Cold Shower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: THERE ARE HINTS OF RAPE!

“Pepper! No!”

Tony sputtered when cold water was dumped on him. Blinded for a second, he thrashed and kicked at the binds around his body. At the wheezing whirl of gears, he opened his eyes despite the water. Above him, an all too familiar claw clipped in joy at him being awake. Dummy did his little metallic squeak when Tony pushed away the claw from his face. 

“Sir? Are you awake?” JARVIS’ voice came above, sounding as concern as an artifical intelligence could be. “I could request, Dummy to-”

“I’m up, I’m up,” Tony grunted as he lifted himself off the bed, cold water dripping down his hair, drenching the bed. He knew all too well that JARVIS always made good on his threats. 

Tony pushed back the soaked hair from his face, even without the water, he could feel the hot sweat that was pooling at his lower back. Dummy rolled away, swinging his bucket between his claws. Alone, as alone he could, Tony pressed his back against the headboard and buried his face into his hands. The room was soon filled with his heavy breathing. Why couldn’t his heart stop pumping so fast? Did it want to finish the job the shrapnel failed to do?

“Sir?” At JARVIS’s voice, Tony was pulled from his thoughts. “Do you wish for me to call Miss Potts?”

Although the bed was now soaked, Pepper’s side of the bed was different. He reached forward and pulled at the corner of the sheet, his fingers squeezed the damped piece of cotton between his fingers. His heart turned cold as he realized what was wrong. 

“Where is she?” Tony squeezed his eyes shut, hoping when he opened them then he would see Pepper. 

“Sir, I am afraid Miss Potts is not currently in the tower,” Tony looked up from looking at the damage. 

“I know she isn’t in the tower!” Tony shouted to the ceiling. “I asked where she is!” 

There was a pause before the digital butler spoke again. “Miss Potts is traveling abroad to a board meeting with the London branch, sir.” JARVIS sounded regretful, as if he was sorry to bring this up. “She didn’t arrive home last night.”

That was wrong, Pepper wasn’t here. Every morning, without waking up the inventor, Pepper would make up her side of the bed. Every morning she made it up a certain and new way, it was a way to give Tony comfort when he finally woke up. The folded corner was the same one as yesterday. 

“Do you wish for me to call her?” JARVIS wanted to sooth his master’s mood.

Tony did want to reach Pepper, to hold her in his arms. Even what he dreamt, he couldn’t see Pepper answering his calls. Pepper never took personal calls during work but, this time it was different. The fight was bigger than he thought. Even if they bickered, Pepper always came to bed with him. Now…she didn’t come to the tower. 

“No,” Tony released the sheet from his fingers. “It’s fine.”

“Sir, are you sure? It is currently 6 in the evening-”

“I said no!” the so called philanthropist once again commanded. Didn’t his own machine listen? “I can handle this.”

Tony walked towards the bathroom, he needed a shower and not a cold bucket of water dumped on his head. The quick he did it, the quicker his nightmare could ease his mind Tony knew that was a wish never answered. The genius glanced up in the mirror and winced at what he saw. 

His skin was less golden as it would be if he was still in Malibu. There were dark shadows under his eyes that weren’t that dark the night before. His eyes were red and sunken, as if he spent the whole night crying. The lack of how dry his eyes felt, that wasn’t the case. It would feel better if he did. 

“Jarvis,” Tony tore his eyes from the mirror. “Cancel all appointments today. I do not want to be disturbed today.”

“Sir, it is Thursday and you have a-”

“Cancel everything.” Tony stressed out. The only real thing that could help him escape his mind was building something. By the way JARVIS was acting up, maybe Tony needed to create a mute button that was stronger. “Daddy….daddy needs to building something.” 

“Yes, sir.”

\--  
The pounding of his hammer against the metal was loud enough to drown out the music. Tony was still making his own music, a rhythmic beat that Tony took great pleasure in. It would sound better than the music that was popular nowadays. With each hit of his hammer, the inventor turned the metal in his hand to get to the next dent. It was funny how to fix a dent, you would have to use an equal powerful force to pop it up. He was using chaos as a tool. 

He should put that on a shirt. 

Tony gently placed the hammer down and picked up the tongs. Ever so gentle, like a surgeon, he picked up the metal between the pinches. The metal was still actively hot and it needed to cool down. He moved over to the tub of water and looked at the tiny spots of red hot metal that was still left, before ducking the piece into water. The water gave off a very satisfying sizzle. 

“Tony?”

Tony didn’t deny that his stomach instantly clench in fear at his name. Not being one to shy away from fear, he flicked his head up. His stomach relaxed at who he saw, the fear had subsided halfway. 

“Bruce!” Tony grinned as he regarded his friend through his dark tinted goggles. “My baby boy! Here to give me some sugar?”

He could see the soft reddening of the doctor’s cheeks, even if his vision was dark. Bruce hovered inside the doorway, a look of nervousness on his face. Tony beckon him in, curling his fingers up through his thick gloves. Bruce approached the work station, Tony flicked his goggles up from his face. 

“Why are you looking like I caught you with your hand in the cookie jar?” Tony waggled his finger at him. “You will spoil your appetite.”

Bruce’s smile was soft, he was still uneasy with witty banter but, he had managed to become better at it over the short years. “Maybe it is because you make crappy dinners?”

Tony gasped and slapped his hand against his chest. “Bless my soul!” He whined, his voice taking on a slight Southern accent. “For my love has forsaken my gifts! How shall I ever recover?”

The doctor’s lips twitched until a chuckle was emitted from them. At Bruce’s laugh, Tony joined in by grinning widely. Of the few residents in the tower (and annoying guests), it was only Bruce who access to his labs. Everyone else had to ask JARVIS for entry. Not even Pepper had the privilege unless she just ignored JARVIS and just walked in. Bruce was allowed to stay because he was on the same wavelength of Tony and Bruce never bothered with idle chatter.  
“What can I do for you?” Tony turned his back to Bruce so he could lift out his new piece of work. 

“You missed the meeting.” Bruce said behind him. 

“I am not an Avenger anymore, Bruce,” Tony lifted the dull but cool off metal out from the water. “I have split from the boy band and created my own band. I call it….Tony and the Jets.”

“Tony….” Tony knew that tone all too well. He wasn’t buying his jokes. 

“I am not an Avenger anymore, I am not even a superhero.” Tony bit back bitterly. “I got neutered, remember?”

“So, why are you building another suit?”

And, the stomach was clenching again. Tony turned around sharply, his project still between the tongs. Bruce didn’t look surprise to see what Tony was holding. Tony held back a glare at how perspective the doctor was. He lowered the metal to the table and began to dry it off with a towel. 

“I thought you told Pepper that you would give up being Iron Man.” Bruce sat on the only other stool in the lab, Tony guess by the soft squishing sound of the cushion. 

Tony’s throat felt as if it was being choked, as his lips pulled against his face. Images of having Pepper in his arms, her blood pooling against his skin, sent a hard shudder through him that threaten to break him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, at least for the moment. 

“I told her that I would give up not risking my life as Iron Man,” Tony placed the metal face on his primary workstation. He picked up a fresh cloth and began to polish off the left over scratches. “I said nothing about giving up making suits.”

“I believe that was implied,” Bruce wasn’t scolding him but, it was more of a warning. “Just be careful about it. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Boy, did that have double meanings to that. 

Tony felt it was safe enough to look back at his friend. Bruce wasn’t encouraging but neither was he discouraging him from pursuing this further. “Thanks, Bruce,” He smiled. “The world needs Iron Man and if duty calls…duty calls.”

“Do not let Fury hear that.” The tension eased from the room when Bruce laughed. “He might fake a mission just to get you back. You know he likes yelling at you.”  
“Jesus…”Tony rolled his eyes playfully. “Why couldn’t he just admit that he wants to fuck me? We got so much built up sexual tension that will only end up with us naked in a pile of rubble.”

“And you wearing his eye patch as-” Bruce laughed harder when Tony smacked a towel against his face. His laughter faded as Tony went back to his new faceplate. “Did you guys have fun at the charity fundraise last night?”

For some reason Liam Talbot came to mind. Tony barely much of what they discussed but, he remembered how pleased Liam was when he was explaining the artwork to Tony like a teacher. It was practically adorable how his eyes sparkled. He didn’t realize he had laughed out loud until Bruce was looking at him funny. 

“It went…” Tony clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Well, you know how fundraisings can be? Boring and dull.” 

“I see…” Bruce shifted in his seat. Of course, being Bruce, he was lucky enough not to be invited to parties. Which was both a good thing and a bad thing for him. No one wanted to invite out the man who might turn into a mini-bulldozer whenever he stubbed his toe. Which meant, Bruce only got asked out when Tony pulled him into social events. Tony, himself couldn’t live without some party life style, just as long he had fun with it. Maybe if Bruce was there, Tony would have better company. But, then, he wouldn’t have met Liam. 

Tony shifted his thoughts away from the young kid towards what kind of color theme he wanted for his mask. Perhaps black and gold, with a hint of red?

“Sir? There is a matter I need to speak to you.” Jarvis interrupted suddenly. 

“Hmm? What is it, Jarvis?” Tony hummed as he went back to smoothing out the shine. 

There was a pause, as if Jarvis suddenly went mute. “I have been alerted of money being withdrawn from your banking account during the course of the day.”

It wasn’t something Tony expected for Jarvis to say. He had thought it was SHIELD asking for some assistance. This…kind of seemed mundane compare to potentially saving the world. Tony exchanged a look with Bruce; he too looked surprised at the news. 

“How are they withdrawing? Trojan? Breaking through the software? Wearing a Tony Stark’s mask?”

“No, sir,” Jarvis even sounded disappointed by the means. “By using your credit card.”

“Wait…what?” the genius arched an eyebrow, wondering if he heard right. “How did someone get my credit card? This has to be a joke, Jar Jar. The only way someone could do that is if they magicked my wallet from my pants.” 

“Unless they pickpocketed you.” Bruce offered. 

Tony eyes went wide and began to pat his jeans pocket. All he got was smooth denim, not even a piece of lint was in his pocket. “Hold that thought!” 

The inventor was panting as he ran into his personal floor with Pepper. He skidded to a halt as he saw his suit coat hanging over the edge of the sofa. He held his breath as he searched his pockets, even the hidden one. Tony’s stomach went tight again today. He felt his face flare up in anger at the very thought that someone rummage through his person. 

“Jarvis,” His voice was tight as he threw away the offending jacket. “Track down the locations of the ATMs being used and calculate a plausible path this punk is taking.”

“Already processing the location, sir,” Jarvis was such an easy tool to have in his arsenal. 

Tony ran his hand down his face, cupping his chin in thought. How could someone grab his wallet without him noticing? When did it occur? Tony was usually on guard about everything but, he was nothing like Natasha with her solid wall of readiness. He was really plastered last night and there were a lot of people in the gallery. Did it happen while he was sipping on his one point sixth drink? Too many variables and not enough answers. 

“Sir,” Jarvis interrupted his thoughts. 

“It better be good news, Jar,” Tony scrubbed his face. 

“It is, sir. I have narrowed down the search and access the time and place of each withdrawn and where the card was used. I have found an area where there is a likely chance that your thief will be there.”

“How likely?”

“At the moment, there have been four ATM withdrawals over the East Side district. Likely chance that you can find your thief in that district is 33%. They have used two separate ATMS without a five mile radius of each other in the past hour.” 

Tony nodded and headed towards his bedroom. “Keep an eye on it and set up an alert system on my phone.” 

“Sir, I suggest you cancel your card and have the property authorities handle it.”

“No, keep this matter private until I say so otherwise,” Tony pushed the many coats to the side.

“Yes, sir.” 

Tony was going hunting today and he needed the proper attire. It wasn’t running after bad guys or super power gods but, it was a start.  
\--

It had been five hours since the last withdrawal. That meant that Tony spent five, long, boring hours stalking his thief. He had noticed a pattern start to form when he saw the withdrawal locations; he was a genius after all. Tony narrowed down a path that would trap his thief right where Tony wanted him. He hacked into the local ATMs and made it so that when someone used his card, they would get an error message and a suggestion to where they should go. Tony was the cat waiting at the end of the maze for his rat. 

Tony was perched inside a café, his eyes directly on the only working ATM in the pathway across the street. He had no idea how many cups of coffee he was consuming but, he needed the caffeine to stay alert. He was beginning to fear that his pickpocket wasn’t going to show up. 

He tugged at his scarf, he could feel sweat starting to pool around his neck. Unfortunately, Tony had to wear it or else his disguise couldn’t be pulled off. It was one of his few anti-paparazzi that could fit in with the hippie dippy coffee house he was in. Tony did feel ridicules wearing both an old argyle sweater and even bigger suit jacket that had be out of fashion for decades. 

Needing a distraction, Tony lifted his cellphone from the table. The home screen was still the same as it was ten minutes ago. The last alert happened over an hour ago, two miles from here. Tony refused to acknowledge the idea that the thief just gave up. 

Tony sighed and rubbed his chin in thought. He had no idea where and when the bastard could have pickpocketed him without him noticing. It had to be during the fundraiser, when Tony was sloshing vodka over his glass with every step. 

“Come on, come on,” He grumbled as he tapped his phone. Maybe the coffee was a bad idea, his foot was already bouncing in annoyance. “Come on, you fucking punk.”  
Tony flicked the screen and pulled up the program that alerted Tony of his thief’s spending. The thief had only withdraw about $500 from Tony’s bank in different amounts each time. Tony had to chuckle when he saw one of the amounts was $69, that he could appreciate. If the thief did it for the humor factor, there was a high chance that they were a young person. Or had his lever of humor. It was simple chump change to Tony, he could make it all back in a minute but it was the principal of the thing. 

The justice seeking genius picked up his near empty cup of coffee and hovered it towards his lips. He would have spit it out if he had taken a sip. Tony eyes grew wide behind his dark aviator glasses. A figure was walking briskly towards the ATM in sight. Tony could only see the light blue hoodie and the old looking jeans from here. The hood was pulled up to absorb the persons face. They hands were in their pockets. The only thing that drew Tony’s attention was how the figure seemed skittish, looking around as if being followed.

He was already out of the door and into the crisp fall weather when his cell phone beeped. Tony pulled his paperboy cap forward as he darted across the street. He wetted his suddenly dry lips, his body was humming with excitement and the thrill of success. 

The figure didn’t notice him, they were too focused on the screen in front of them. Tony smirked and slowed down until he stood behind the person. Tony’s nose wiggled at the rotten stench coming off the person, it smelled like trash and spoiled meat. His thief needed a shower, probably in the county jail. 

Tony bit the inside of his cheek as the ATM screen changed from asking how much the thief wanted to withdrawal to a digital image of himself. The oversize head of Tony Stark blew raspberries at the screen, his feet doing a little jig. The cartoon turned around and showed off a bare ass, there was even a little wiggle. 

“The artist really captured my likeness. Don’t you agree?” Tony purred into the thief’s ear. 

It was a risky move, there was a chance that the thief on a weapon on him. But, apparently, by the little gasp that came from his bandit, he was surprised at being caught. “How about you turn around, give me back my card…and we can take a trip down to the station.”

Tony could see tuffs of breath from the thief; the cold chill was making it visible. The former hero could swear he heard the quickening of his heart. Tony could smell the fear in the air, and he took some joy in causing. That would show this punk not to mess with….

Said punk was currently running away. Tony cursed for taking his sweet time and followed after the thief. The thief was carried by long legs, pushing the chase in his favor. While the thief had speed, Tony had determination. There was no way in hell would he allow his thief to make off with his card. He pumped his legs, his eyes never taking away from the ragged backside of his clothing. 

“Get back here, you bastard!” Tony called out through the semi-empty streets. 

His words only made his runaway pickpocket go faster. The thief darted towards the left and into an alleyway. Tony wasn’t going to be thrown off that quickly. He chuckled into the crisp air and followed after him, this was the excitement he craved. The thrilled of not knowing what was going to happen, the ability to think quickly on his feet to avoid the harsher injuries. This was better than sex!

Tony could see the other end of the alleyway already. It lead to the busier side of the block, which meant, if his thief made it to that end, he could get lost in the crowd. The genius looked around as he ran after the runaway for a weapon. His lips turn on a wicked grin as he picked up a metal trash lid from the ground. Tony grunted as he threw all his strength into the throw, nearly toppling over his own feet. 

Tony was no means Captain America but, Steve would be proud at his technique. Tony watched the metal disk spin in the air, towards the thief. It looked like it was going to just skimmed over the head. But, as if the fates were happy with Tony, the metal lid swooped down and collided with the thief. The thief grunted as the metal disk hit him squarely in the back. The thief wobbled before falling to the dirty ground. 

The pickpocket was trying to get away by the time Tony got close enough. The punk groaned in pain as he struggled to get up, Tony started to feel bad for the thief. There were holes in his blue hoodie, it was plain but, Tony could see a faded logo that was washed way in so many washes. When the jeans looked too thin for this kind of weather and the bottoms were frayed from age. 

Tony shook his head. Sympathy or not, the thief stole from him. He grabbed the bastard’s arm and he was surprised how easy it was to flip him on his back (it was like picking up a bag of sponges). “Now, that I have your attention…how about we…”

His words died in his throat as he looked down at his little thief. Soft blue eyes looked up at him with fear and panic, blinking slowly. His soft lips were opened in a startled circled, his foggy breathing coming in short pants. Tony’s adrenaline turned from excitement at the chase towards disbelief. Of all the people….Tony wasn’t expecting him to be culprit. 

Liam looked up at him from his position on the ground like an ant about to be crushed by a boot, scared and not sure was going to happen. Tony saw the bob of his Adam’s apple as he laid there. The temptation to leave him alone came again but, Tony held it back under a strong chain. Tony held back a growl and picked up the kid from the ground. Liam wobbled on his feet before Tony pushed him against the wall. Liam shouted in pain when his back was slammed against the wall. He tried to squirmed away but, Tony was stronger and pinned his thief to the wall, his hand pushing against his shoulder. Liam let out another yelp and drew in his lip to keep from crying out anymore. 

Liam’s head was covered by the hood of his jacket, framing his pale face. Tony’s blood began to boil, as the mystery of how his wallet was stolen fell into place. The only chance this punk, this fucking kid, could grab his wallet was when Liam suddenly gave him a hug. Tony should have seen the signs, or felt the kid’s hands on him even in his drunkard state but, his fingers were quick and lightweight. 

“You have a lot of fucking nerve stealing from me. I bet you think you are all that because you stole money from me. Well, you aint’!” Tony growled, his fingers digging into Liam’s arms. 

Liam grunted but, he kept his pain from showing. “Let…go…”

“How about no?” Tony shouted into his face. “You don’t give me orders, you asshole. I am Tony Fucking Stark and you…you are just a fucking worm to me. I am a goddam hero, I take out shitheads like you.” 

“It was just petty chump change for you,” Liam growled, his eyes narrowing into slits. “You could have made it all back and more in under an hour. Instead, you decided to chase after a poor boy…some hero you are.”

Tony wanted to shake Liam until he passed out. “I should drag you to the nearest police station by your hair and let you rot in jail.”

Liam’s eyes went wide, a new coat of fear in his eyes. “Don’t…” he swallowed. “I will give you back your card and the rest of the money.”

Tony knew that if he was in the best moods, he would have accepted Liam’s offer. But, Tony was far gone from that. Tony smirked and leaned in close, squishing the young kid into the wall. He placed his legs against either side of Liam’s, further trapping him against the wall. Liam’s breath hitched as Tony pressed himself against him. Up close, the smell Liam gave off was just burning his nostrils. Under the foul stench of smoke and filth, Tony could feel the faint scent of mint on Liam’s breath. There was smell as well, an unfamiliar scent that was clouded by the foulness of everything else. 

“If you are so sorry….I can think of a new ways you can pay me back.” Tony smirked as he felt Liam shake under his hands. It was good to scare a kid once in awhile. “You are a pretty young thing…handsome and very witty. I bet all the men in the station would love to steal of piece of you for themselves. How about it? Care to pay me back or let the other criminals steal something from you?”

Liam’s lip quivered, he pulled in a breath and closed eyes. “Please…” his voice was tight, as if he was forcing himself to calm down. “Please…let go…I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Hurt me?” Tony chuckled. “You can’t hurt me. I am in control here, boy,” Ton knew he should stop but, there was some fun in this. “Now, come quietly or-”

It was Tony’s turn to scream in pain as he felt his skin on fire. He wheeled back as quickly as he could to put out the fire. Only, there was no fire. His hand was covered in a thick coat of dark ice. Tony looked up and noticed the ice around Liam’s shoulders that traveled down his arms. Little flecks of snow began to dance off his fingers. 

“What the fuck? How did you-?” Tony pushed his frozen hand to his chest. 

Liam’s eyes went wide he as he could as he too looked at the ice. Liam’s breath came out rapid, looking like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi. He opened his mouth to say something, hopefully to explain what the fuck just happened, but only one word out. 

“Sorry,” Liam swallowed hard. “I am so sorry.” 

His soft blue eyes turned dark as the ice on his hands, fear was taking over him. Liam wasn’t scared of what Tony might do next but, what he could do. Tony stood there shocked, his mind reeling over the effects. Liam didn’t let the moment passed and soon gain his footing again. Tony rushed forward to grab hold of him but, Liam skidded away and ran as quick as he could to the other end of the alleyway. Tony stepped forward, ready to chase him again but a sudden burst of pain stilled him. 

The ice was thick around his hand, and it felt cold. He couldn’t flex his fingers, they were trapped in a half of inch of ice. The startled genius grunted, the ice was like fire. He had to get rid of it before something else happened. Tony shifted his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. “Damn it all,” Tony cursed as he looked back at the alley entrance. With his other hand, he took out his cell phone. On the second ring, the recovered finally picked up. 

“Happy….pull the car around…And ready some hot water.” Tony held his frozen hand to his chest. He looked back up at the alley entrance, there was no sign of the strange thief….who managed to create ice out of nowhere. Tony’s shoulders sagged as he realized something else. Despite all his efforts, his time and planning, Liam made off with his wallet again. 

“I need a fucking drink.”


	4. The Maelstrom

“Suffering Suckatash!” 

Tony roared in pain when Bruce poured a fresh cup of warm water on his already sensitive hand. Bruce’s face was impassive as he inflicted this level of pain on his pain. Sometimes, Tony wished that Bruce wasn’t so good at being a doctor. He flexed his fingers in the water, his hand resembled a lobster with melted butter. Maybe, thinking about food was a bad idea, Tony could already feel his stomach churning. 

“You are lucky that it isn’t so severe,” Bruce said curtly. “Or else I might have to amputee your hand.”

Tony grumbled, “I rather not get a robotic hand just yet, thank you.” The doctor lifted his hand out from the shallow tub and began to dry it off. He could feel the fibers digging at his skin, it was a good sign. A sigh passed through his lips, his eyes lowered as he stared at Bruce. “How bad is it?”

Bruce pulled away the towel at the heated hand with interest. Tony’s left hand looked like bloated Twizzles, puffy and hard with an edge of yellow. It wouldn’t look pretty when those blisters popped. His hand felt as stiff as the drink he would have had if Bruce hadn’t interfered. Something about alcohol might doing more damaged. 

“There are signs of a slight nerve damage from the index finger to the thumb,” Bruce voiced his fears. “I will prescribe some medication to help dull the pain. A low dose, so it won’t affect your motor skills.”

As Bruce wrapped his hand in dry gaze, Tony felt his heart drop into his stomach. His hands were his life, they built the machines and they wrote up new ideas. Tony felt hollow. The part of him that stilled believed in silver linings, theorized it could have been worst; the ice could have taken his whole hand. 

“I fucked up.” Tony whispered under his breath. 

“Yes, you did,” Bruce’s voice made Tony look up. Tony braced himself for the scolding. “I never knew you to be clumsy with liquid nitrogen.”

Tony relaxed slightly. He almost forgot the lie he told Bruce. “Yeah,” Tony let out a tight chuckle. “Clumsy old Stark at your service. I don’t do birthdays.”

There was a pause and Tony was beginning to think that Bruce could see through his lie. His fears were calmed when Bruce just sighed and dropped his hand. “I will go get some medication for you,” he turned and walked towards his cabinets. “And you will rest your hand in the meantime. We don’t want to have to cut off your hand. I will help drain the fluid again in a few hours.”

Tony plastered a smile on his face when Bruce came back with a pill bottle for him. He hated lying to his friends, especially Bruce but, how was Tony suppose to tell the truth when he didn’t understand it himself? How in the world did a kid freeze his hand like that? For all Tony knew, Liam was one of those mutants that everyone was sweating bullets about. A mutant with his credit card. 

Tony hadn’t realized how much lost he was in his own thoughts that he missed what Bruce was saying until his friend got that sad puppy look, the face he wore when he was being ignored. 

“Sorry,” Tony smiled in hopes of amending Bruce’s troubles. “Got lost in the idea of being becoming a clown. I would look silly with a rainbow wig.”

“You are coming to the meeting, right?” Bruce ignored Tony’s jest by repeating his words. 

Tony let out a groaned, suddenly wishing that Bruce hadn’t taken away his whiskey after the first glass. It was to help dull the pain, not numb his mind. “Again? You guys had a meeting yesterday.”

“That was before…” Bruce coughed into his hand. There was a slight twinge of worry in his eyes. 

“Bruce…” Tony stepped forward. “What happened?”

“I think it is best if you come and see, Stark.”

Tony whirled around to face the woman he hadn’t seem in forever. She stood in the doorway of his lab, she didn’t need permission to come in; she just did it on her own. Natasha looked at them with cool eyes, no emotion was betrayed in them. Tony frowned, his stomach twisting in uneasiness. Whenever the assassin showed up here, it was never good. 

“What happened?” Tony instantly turned into battle mood, his wounds forgotten. 

Instead of answering him directly, Natasha looked at him. “It is best if you come up now, Stark,” there was no room for any disagreement. She was always straight forward but, there was something in her voice that made Tony on edge. “The others are waiting.”

“We will be up in a-”

“Now.” The seriousness of her voice was downright chilling. 

“Today is not my day….”  
\--

As time went by, his earlier statement was becoming more and more accurate. All Tony wanted to do was to pour a much needed nightcap, ring up Pepper, and sleep. However, Tony was finding out that his wants were barely met. He couldn’t even get a rested night sleep; the nightmare from this morning was just a reminder of his unfulfilled wishes. 

Ever since Stark Tower became the Avengers home, Fury quickly claimed one of the floors just for them. Tony had no say, as Pepper quickly agreed to it, saying she was donating her 12% to the Avengers (at least partially her percentage). Tony’s foot bounced on the floor as he waited for Fury to show up, the quicker they could get this other with, the better. There had to be a good reason why Natasha dragged him out of his labs. 

“Friends!” The booming voice of Thor shook Tony from his thoughts. Instead of the tall, dark, and fearsome director, Mr. Golden Sunshine strolled into the room. Thor’s beaming smile was the total opposite of the stoic faces of the other Avengers. Tony both admired and loathed the god’s overflowing optimism. The ground shook as he plopped himself in the seat between Steve and Bruce. 

“Yo, Point Break,” Tony grinned at the thunder god. “What’s with the stupid grin? Don’t tell me that Jane is expecting already!”

Thor’s face took on a slight pink hue the mention of Jane. Tony couldn’t help it, was always fun to make the god squirm from embarrassment. “Lady Jane is fair, Stark. I shall tell her of your well wishes next we meet.” Tony winked and leaned back into his chair. 

Before Tony could tease Thor further, Fury walked into the room, Coulson at his heels. Tony knew something was up when he saw the born again Coulson. Everyone in the room still hadn’t forgiven Fury for keeping Coulson lack of being dead a secret.

Tony passed a look towards Steve, hoping the star and strips could give him a hint at what was going on. However, those diamond blue eyes revealed nothing. Steve shook his head and gestured Tony to listen up.  
Nick Fury stood at the head of the table, his arms held back behind his back like he was hiding something. “Good of all of you to come,” his one eye scanned around the room. “We have a problem.”

“We always have a problem, Nickie,” Tony leaned against in the chair, his feet shifting to on the table. “Its’ either we are needed to stop a nuclear meltdown or saving kitties from trees.”

“Tony!” Steve sounded offended. 

Tony held up his hands in mock surrender. “I am just stating facts,” he cocked his head to the side. “What is the problem that you got to call in a _forced retired_ hero in?” There was a stillness in the room, no one wanted to poke the elephant in the room. 

Nick took a second longer to finish his glare, to compensate for the lack of a second eye. He nodded his head towards Coulson, who started up the projector behind him. A stilled image of a man appeared on screen, a long green cape flapping in the wind. Tony sucked in a breath. 

“Doctor Victor von Doom,” the director informed the class. Tony’s chest slightly unwind when it wasn’t _him_. “has returned.”

Everyone leaned forward in their seats. It was a few years ago, a few months before Tony officially retired, that Doctor Doom (as he so called himself) suddenly showed up on the villain scene. Tony briefly remembered hearing his name thrown out once or twice prior to that fight. The man was a genius, probably fourth greatest genius in the world (Tony still claimed the top) that just suddenly went mad. He don a green cape and a metal mask, and sought out some idea of greatness. 

The fight was brutal, the man had high tech weapons that nearly rivaled Tony’s Mark 42. Von Doom took up wearing a metal suit of armor as well, something that never sat right with Tony. Unlike Tony, Doctor Doom took up the art of magic to give him an extra kick. The crazed genius was a tough cookie, he managed to bring down Thor before he got smashed to a building by the Hulk. The building toppled over and covered both of the green favoring men. When the rubble was pulled back, Bruce was fine but Doctor Doom simply vanished. 

The still image turned into a video, judging by the quality and distance, it had to be a satellite surveillance. Doom stood on top of a small mountain of rubbly, even with the grainy image, he still looked the same. Unlike the first time Tony ducked it out with Doom, there was something different about the mad genius. 

A metal arm flicked up its wrist, letting out bursts of green light towards the poor people down below. They ran for cover until it was destroyed by the powerful force of energy. He looked like a conductor, setting up scores of music but, this time it was screams rather than music. 

Tony kept his eyes glued to the screen, watching as the metal encased figure took enjoyment in the carnage that was happening. Tony was glad that the satellite was solely focus on the doctor and not the destruction below, he didn’t need that as nightmare fuels. Doctor Doom’s green cape whipped in the wind, dust flickering through the image. 

There was a collected sigh of relief when Coulson paused the video. The projector froze on the close up of the metal face. Even Natasha looked relieved when the video stopped, it was great to know there was some heart to his assassin friend. 

Coulson broke the silence. “My team and I,” everyone shifted their attention back to the topic. “Reached the small village near Kohistan, where Doctor Doom was in. We had intercepted a distress call and we were the closet ones. One of my team members set out an electronic pulse damper, in the hopes of taking down the sentry turrets Doom had placed. The damper had radius of two miles and Fitz took down every electronic devices in the area. Turrets, cell phone towers….”

There was a pause, as if Coulson couldn’t believe his next words. “Even Doctor Doom.”

“Good news for us then!” Clint exclaimed from Tony’s right. “Go Ritz then. Go us.”

The glare that Fury gave Barton was enough to even make Tony shiver. “Coulson…continue.”

The agent nodded his head, there was no emotion betrayed in his face. “Once Doctor Doom was down…we approached his body caustically. That was when we noticed there were no movement what so ever. We expected Doom to be unable to get up by the sheer weight of the suit. But, that was when we noticed that the suit…was empty.” 

Coulson pressed an unseen button and the frozen video turned into a photo, much sharper. Doom, or rather, his suit laid on the ground. The familiar metal mask was gone, pulled away to reveal what was inside. In the middle of the web of wires a circuit, a large green spider stood out from the rest. The spider itself was a large green crystal, it as green as ivy. As Tony’s eyes focused, he noticed there were chicken scratched embedded into the crystal. 

Tony heard Thor’s sharp intake of breath at the sight. “Magic,” the thunder god whispered, his eyes looking at the scratches as if he could decipher them. “This physician of destruction is no sorcerer by nature…yet, how did he come by a source of _seiðr_?”

While everyone was looking towards Coulson and Fury for answers, it was Tony who was looking at the bigger picture. The way the Doom suit moved was almost like it was dancing, fluid in water. If there was no visible metal, Tony would have thought it was an actual person doing those horrible things. Tony felt his jaw tighten up in envy at how smooth the movements were. 

“He has robots…” the number one genius in the world growled. Apparently, he was interrupted an important discussion as the voices around him began to wind down. “Doom has bot robots to take care of his acts. He does not need to be in harm’s way to do it.”

“Whoa,” the archer clicked his tongue as he looked towards Tony. “We are facing against…Doombots.”

Tony glared at Clint, a part of him wanted to smack the archer across the head for the shorten name, the other part of him wanted to take the claim to the name himself. He was the only who came up with nicknames. 

“Exactly,” Fury wasn’t surprised. Of course, he wouldn’t be. Nothing surprised the man. “After this one showed up, there were two more who appeared in Kyoto and even Canada. Our teams on the ground took care of them.”

“What do you want us to do, sir?” Natasha asked, ready for action. 

It was like there was word that the Helicarrier’s cafeteria was carrying corndogs, or whatever snack was appealing to them. It had been some time since they were all called to fight together, least of all, a mission where the world could be at stake. Saving the world, tended to be like a drug. Hard to take, harder to kick back. 

“Rogers, take Clint with you to Prague,” the director looked at the two. “There is a rumor that Doom has built an underground facility there. Natasha, take Bruce and Thor with you to support a ground team in Africa. We got word of a possible attack in the last hour.”  
,  
Everyone nodded, taking their mission folders from Coulson. Everyone but Tony. Tony whistled as it was obvious by Coulson’s empty hands that Tony wasn’t going to get a mission filled cupcake. “Hello?” he shook his hand to bring all the attention to him. “What about me?”

Fury and Coulson exchanged a silent glance before the director looked at Stark. “You are in charge of studying the robot-”

“Doombot!” Clint yelled

“The….Doom bot shell that Coulson brought in. Find out what you know from the robot and see if we can find where he got his parts. Hopefully, there is something in there that will help us understand Doom more.”

Tony held back a scoff of disbelief, it would take more than breaking apart his robots to figure out Doom. The guy was insane and thought he was entitled to everything. Although, it would be a great start. Tony looked back the image of the empty shell of the suit, his fingers itching to crawl through them. “What about the magic gem? I am a genius but, I don’t know a lick about magic.”

“We have extracted the gem from the casing,” the agent beside Fury spoke. Tony’s lips twitched, he could only imagine how rough those field agents, taking away the primary source. “Thor, if you could…”

“Aye,” Thor nodded his head. “I will send it to Asgard to be viewed. Mortals such as Doom do not deserve such a gift.” 

The rest were already getting up from their chairs before the teacher dismissed them. Tony stayed in his seat. Bruce got up to follow Thor and Natasha out of the door, he gave Tony one last smile, and Tony knew he wanted to stay behind help. If not to help Tony take apart the suit but, to keep him company. Tony held back a sigh and gave his friend one wave of his hand, pushing him towards the waiting teammates. 

Left alone with the Director, as Coulson followed the Avengers out for a further debriefing, Tony flicked at the speck of wood that was coming off the table. “So?” Tony stressed out. “Am I dismissed or is the teacher going to keep me behind for detention. I have been a bad boy lately.” Tony chuckled dryly at his own joke. 

For once, Tony was glad that someone didn’t fall into his own flirt. Tony did not want to find out if Fury had something else in just a single. “The suit will be waiting for you downstairs in your lab, Stark.”

Tony took that as enough of an excuse to leave. He was halfway out of the door before Fury called back to him. “Yeah, baby?”

“Do not mess this up.” Fury said simply.

Tony let out a mocked gasp of hurt. “Oh, of so little faith! You know me not to mess anything up this delicate.”

The stoic director looked up the inventor up and down before his one remaining eye rested on the only thing that was interest. “I would love to hear the story about your hand,” there was no humor in his voice, but Fury looked smug at the thought of Tony getting hurt. The genius hid his hand quickly behind his back before Fury could look at it further. “Do not fuck this up, Stark. Don’t be you.”

Tony bit the inside of his cheek until he could feel the faint tang of copper. He wanted to bitch and throw something at director but, the only thing that stopped him was the memory of what happened last time he gave into his emotions. What he tried, or threaten, to that kid…

“You can count on me, Furry.” 

“That’s what I am afraid of.”

\--

“Jarvis,” Tony wheeled over on his stool to the next table. “Pull up the schematics of helmet again for me.”

_“Yes, sir.”_

A blue hologram window sprang from thin air, the transparent pieces floating in the air like a mobile. With a flick of his hand, Tony zoomed onto the holographic image of the intricate system before him. He tapped it twice before it zoomed any further, letting him see the small parts that the human eye couldn’t see it. The genius leaned back in his stool, hoping the new angle would give him some clarity.

“How did he do it?” he muttered into his hand before he reach out. The blue image of Doom’s face stared him down, mocking him in his endeavors. “How did that bastard make them so smooth?”

 _“Sir,”_ Jarvis’ voice overshadowed the music in the lab. _“Perhaps, it is best if you remain at the task at him. There will be time for thoroughly examination of the software later. Director Fury, asked you to-”_

“Jarvis…be quiet.” Tony cut in. His own program was reminding him of the task for hours. 

Hours. Hours spent unable to figure out how Doom built his machines to the point where the suit’s movement were weightless. Tony took pride in his Iron Man suits, they were as beautiful as they were deadly but, he never managed to create suits that moved like that much less when it was controlled remotely. Compare to the Doom bots, his own suits looked like clumsy tap dancers to the ballet dancers of Doom. 

The genius inventor groaned and scrubbed at his face for the millionth time. He had no concept of it being morning, afternoon, or even night. He growled when his whiskers caught the ends of the gaze. Tony yelled in pain as he pulled his hand away, ripping a few strands of his perfect goatee. 

Tony glared at his hand, wrapped up in heavy white bandages. Bruce had reapplied the new gaze before he left, not sure when he would come back. Tiny black strands of hair were embedded in the heavy gaze.

“Stupid, fucking hand!” pent up frustration ripped through him. He grabbed a random edge of gaze and began to rip through it like a beast. “What good are you if you can’t fucking do anything right?!”

Tony threw the offending wad of gaze to the void in his lab. He could feel his lungs constrict as he drew in sharps breaths. His hand looked like a mess. The flesh of his left hand looked red like blood, thumping as yellow blisters grew against his knuckles. Where there flesh was between his index finger and thumb, it looked better on a corpse than a living person. Tony reached forward and pinched at the grey tissue. 

Nothing. 

His panting slowed down as he let out a heavy breath. He couldn’t even feel the hard squeeze of his nails. “Jarvis…” Tony breathed into the heavy silence. He didn’t want to look at his hand. 

_“Yes, sir?”_ Good old, Jarvis…not ever following his orders to be silent. Tony knew he could count on Jarvis to know the difference from being mute to being silent. 

“Call…call…” Tony swallowed when Pepper came to mind. He should call her, see how she was doing. But, he didn’t want to bring her into this mess. Not now, when his mood was heated. “Cancel my credit card. And…find any information on Liam Talbot or any deviation of the name.”

Tony might not be fully able to tackle the Doom bot but, he could solve one of his problems. 

_“I found located over 500 known identities, sir.”_

“Narrow it down to those who are around sixteen to thirty years of age. Male. Blue eyes. And lives in New York City.”

_“Right away, sir.”_

The music went quiet as Jarvis rerouted the music to focus on the search. Tony was left alone in the stifling quiet lab. His hand was throbbing from the ripping of the gaze, it was going to hurt a lot more if he didn’t take care of it. Tony breezed past the orange pill bottle on his counter to a locker in the corner of the room. It didn’t take him long to find the near empty bottle of whisky, which, with one whiff of it, was expired.

“Better than nothing,” Tony breathed into the neck before downing the rest. The burning sensation was even worst now.

Leaving behind the hologram projectors, Tony walked towards the actual physical suit. It laid out several tables, parts scattered across like broken china. He moved towards the center where the head and the chest piece laid. The billionaire spun the glass bottle on its side, his finger hooked into the neck. The face of the helmet was imposing, as Tony could see welded deadbolts highlighting natural contours of a regular face. Unlike Tony, Doom wanted to look imposing rather than sleek and shiny. The metal itself was a dull pewter, darker than regular iron. 

“You are more Iron Man than I was,” As soon as Tony said it, he instantly regretted it. 

Tony leaned over the table and took hold of the helmet itself. His fingers dug into the curves of the faceplate and with a grunt, he pried the helmet opened, leaving his fingers throbbing in pain. The inventor sucked on his fingers as he looked down into the vast wires and circuit boards. Everything looked just as it was when he first took the initial scans. 

Expect that part wasn’t glowing green. 

“What do we have here?” Tony’s fingers already plucking up a pair of tweezers. 

He pushed past the strands of wires towards the blinking green spot near the back of the helmet. As he got closer to the helmet, Tony could pick up faint scent of ozone and what he could only described as winter. It was a tiny shard of pulsating green light, no bigger than a penny but, Tony was smart enough to recognize as what it was. It was a tinier version of the magical gem blondie bear took away. Apparently, there was a little more left behind. 

Tony pulled back, if only to look around the empty room. There was no sign of anyone making a surprise trip down here. He smirked as he went back to the tiny shard of magic. There was no deny that magic certainly had a kick, an untapped source of power waiting to be claimed. Who better than Tony Stark to tap that magic. 

The inventor slid he metal pinchers into the shard and began to wiggle it. The shard shifted around but, refused to budge. It remained firmed between the metal of the helmet and a damaged circuit board. 

Tony quickly abandoned the tweezers and began to roll off his sleeves. “Nothing beats muscle power.” He said to the air. 

Like a surgeon, Tony shifted his hand into the helmet and began to fish around for the gem. He managed to cut himself once on the wrist by a fried wired before his fingers curled around the tip. The gem seemed to hum in the response of Tony’s finger, giving the inventor a rather nice vibration in greeting. Tony grunted as he put in all his might and strength into the extraction of the gem. He stood on his tiptoes for a better angle. 

“And a one….and a two….and a three!” Tony yelled as he yanked his hand back. 

Tony recoiled backwards as he pulled back the gem. He quickly righted himself before he managed to make friends with the floor. He looked down at his curled right hand, his heart stopped in anticipation. Slowly, his pulled back his fingers and looked down at his gift. The tiny green gem rolled around his palm as Tony let out a laugh of victory.

“Whooo!” Tony shouted into the empty air. “I am the greatest-”

In his excitement, he had forgotten that his habit of celebration was throwing his hands up in the air. As if time had slowed down, Tony saw the tiny green gem fly into the air, turning brighter at the catching light. With a curse on his lips, the inventor moved forward and towards the gem, his body thrown towards the quickly falling magic bead. 

Tony landed on his stomach as the gem fall right into his open palm. The genius sighed in relief, he didn’t want to clean up his stolen piece of magic. He grinned as he rolled the gem in his palm, the gem was glowing brighter now, taking on a shade of neon green. 

“See? I knew I could do-” The gem rolled toward the grey flesh of his left hand. “Oh, fuck.”

The gem flared bright green. And Tony could no longer see anything. 

 

When Tony could finally see again, his mouth felt as dry as if he spent a week sucking on cotton balls. His vision was spinning like a carousal, it made his head feel heavier than concrete. The man groaned in pain as he shifted to his side. It felt like someone was banging cymbals near his head, getting louder and to the point Tony could feel his ear drums bursting. 

“JARVIS!” Tony screamed over the noise. “Turn that-”

The room was encased in red light as a shrill alarm thundered across the room. Tony’s eyes went wide as he realized that haunting sound. The Avengers were needed. Tony scrambled up from the floor, the world shifted underneath him but, he needed to be solid for this. 

“Jarvis!” Tony yelled over the warning siren. “Initiate Project Phoenix, now!”

 _“I am afraid I can’t do that, sir,”_ Jarvis’ cool voice was a mockery to the siren undertones. _“All of my systems are being….being…”_

Tony’s stomach sank as his heard his artificial intelligence’s voice drop and slowed down. “Jarvis?” There was a scramble of white noise. He swallowed as he could feel the gentle hum of his machines being zapped away from the room. “Hang in there, buddy.”

The tower was powering down, Tony wasn’t sure why but, he needed to call in the others. Whatever was happening, it was big. The inventor ran all the way up to the penthouse, where his Iron Man setup was still active. Hopefully, he could reroute some of the remaining power to get on a suit. Any suit would do. 

His heart stopped. 

It were pure darkness outside. The clouds were pitch blacked, swirling into a whirlpool. Poison green lighting cracked in the dark sky. Whatever was touched by the light, burst in consuming flames. Tony could see the wind was wild as it kicked up trees from below, pulling the trees into the growing tornado. Slowly, Tony stepped towards the window, his feet felt as heavy as lead. The glass was thick as steel plates but, he could see panels being rocked back and forth by the force of the wind. 

“Oh, fuck…” the energy outside was palatable even from here. It tasted of smoke, ash, and death. 

Tony reached for his communicator, he had to call in the others soon before this maelstrom did some more damage. He could see people fleeing from down below, hoping to get safety as soon as possible. Unlucky bystanders were pulled up from the ground and into the dark void of the tornado. 

Then came the flash of gold. Tony couldn’t help but cheer when he saw the bright golden hair of Thor flying towards the storm. His red cape was kicked up in wind but, the thunder god paid no heed as he flew towards the heart of the storm. Tony could see the tiny silver speck of Mjölnir as his friend flew onwards. If anyone could stop this storm, it was Thor. 

As Thor moved towards the gaping hole, there was only a split second for Tony to see the green lightning bolt before it struck. The lightning bolt struck Thor dead on. Tony’s legs wobbled as he saw the god fall downwards. He couldn’t look away as Thor collided with the ground. Before Tony could even move, the god burst into green flames. 

“No!” Tony screamed and rushed forward toward the glass. Thor slammed onto the ground hard and he didn’t move as the green flames licked him away. 

The sight of the jet coming from the left was the only thing that pulled the man out. Tony knew that the rest of the Avengers were in there, ready to do battle with nature itself. Tony’s breath caught sharply in his throat as he saw something emerging from the hole in the middle. The dark ring parted ways as a large head slithered out of it. A red forked tongue flickered into the wind despite the rushing speed of it. A horned serpent head emerged from ring, taking up nearly half of the sky. 

And the jet was flying right towards it. Tony let out another scream, his fists pounded against the shaking glass. They had to get away! They had to escape! Tony couldn’t see them fall, not without him. 

The jet didn’t hear his begs, his pleads to turn back. It went right towards the growing serpent. The snake turned its heard toward the jet as it approached. Tony couldn’t emit another scream as he saw a sharp fang pierce the haul of the jet. From here, he could see fresh venom dripping into the cracked S.H.I.E.L.D. logo. All hope of their survival was gone as the jet exploded into a ball of fire. 

“No….” His knees gave out. “No…”

“Is this what you fear?” A cold voice set Tony on edge. “This is truly pathetic. Though, I do appreciate the destruction.”

Tony whipped his head around at the figure behind him. If he wasn’t already on the floor now, he would have been at the mere sight of _him_. He stood there, his pale face watching the chaos outside, his face betrayed no emotion like amusement. He looked onwards, bored by the sight. 

“Loki…” Tony breathed, his voice was shallow. 

The face twitched at the name. The god of chaos and madness blinked, as if waking from a haze. Loki turned his head and stared down at the fallen hero, his poison green narrowed into slits. Thin lips were pulled back, not in anger but in confusion.

“You can see me?”

 

His lungs burned as air was dragged right into his chest. Tony sat up quickly, a cold sweat ran down his back. He could feel his body shaking, quaking as memories were still fresh in his head. Memories of seeing his friends die in front of him and Loki…

Tony’s thoughts turned a sharp corner. Those weren’t memories. That was a nightmare. An all too familiar one. 

_“Sir?”_ Jarvis was none the wiser of what Tony just saw, imagined. 

Tony panted, and ran his fingers through his hair. A clatter of glass woke him into reality. The gem was a dark green now, there was no hum to it. Tony sighed as he reached for it again. He stopped short of the gem when he saw something. His left hand, the hand that was covered in scars and blisters…it looked as if nothing happened. His hand no longer resembled a boiled shrimp, it had the all too familiar tan. It was the grey skin that in the circle of his index and thumb that was evidence of his frostbite. 

_“Sir?”_ Jarvis called again. 

“This…this better be good news, Jar,” all he wanted to do now was take a cold shower and go into whiskey coma. 

_“I have found him.”_


	5. The Frost Seeps In

“And stay out, you good for nothings!”

Cackles overlapped the angry shout from the Indian shop clerk as he ran into the cold air, his broom brandished out like a sword. Liam watched as Mr. Malik deciding whether to chase after the shoplifters or not. However, as his thin shoulders sagged, he knew the shopkeeper’s decision. Dejected, the immigrant waddled back into store, with nothing to gain but a dust of snow on his hair. 

“Fucking punks…” Mr. Malik muttered under his breath, his thick Indian accent made it impossible to hear whatever he said next. Judging by his heated eyes, it wasn’t pretty. 

“Oh!” The shopkeeper jumped when his eyes rounded on him. “I didn’t see you there, Liam…” 

Liam gave the shopkeeper a tight smile, there were still fire in his eyes and he didn’t want to ignite it further. “Its fine,” he breezed it away. “Are…are you okay?” 

The shopkeeper sighed heavily, Liam could hear a wheeze to his lungs. He looked towards the door, expecting the shoplifters to come running back. They both knew that there was no way the goods could ever be brought back or justice wrought, not in this neighborhood. “I will be fine. Now, what can I get for you?”

Liam gently placed his items on the counter near the lotto tickets. A bag of squished bread, milk, and apple. The bread’s sell by date was yesterday, it was marked down to forty percent off while the milk was needed to be drunk today or else it would spoil. The only thing fresh Liam managed to find was the one golden apple, at the bottom of the carton of produce. It looked perfect in all directions, no bruises or even holes. Liam could easily imagined how it would taste, his teeth digging into the golden flesh, he would enjoy the juice running down his chin as it filled him with everlasting life-

“Liam?” The shopkeeper snapped his fingers in his face. “That will be $6.25.”

Liam’s pale cheeks colored as his mind had wander away yet again. He kept Mr. Malik from seeing his embarrassment by ducking his head while he dug through his pockets for the cash. As his gloved hands pulled back from his search, he knew that it wouldn’t be enough. Still, he let the tight balls of money and the coins rain down on the counter. 

Mr. Malik said nothing about the state of the cash. It was pretty common knowledge that no one would ever hand over a credit card, at least one they own. The shopkeeper’s hand moved through the pile of money and stray lint, his tanned finger pushing into piles of money. 

“$4.73…” He said with slight pity. 

He sighed and looked towards his goods. His stomach grumbled as he had to shift his blue eyes away from the golden apple. As much as he wanted it, he knew that that the milk and the bread were going to be more filling. Without a word, Liam pushed his choices forward. He had to close his eyes when Mr. Malik brought back the apple into the box under the counter for the goods that couldn’t be purchased. Lim briefly wondered how many of his own items made it into that box. Mr. Malik dropped an extra dime in his hand before handing over the plastic bag to Liam. 

Liam nodded his thanks and quickly walked out, the sound of the bell ringing following him. His breath came out in a visible puffs as he breathed out into the cold weather. Unlike everyone else, Liam didn’t mind the cold. It was soothing have the crisp wind blow through his hair. 

He pulled his hood over his black hair and hugged chest as he walked. Ever since the great economic crash years ago, this area of the city became something of a scum of the city. Liam passed so many empty buildings that he once thought he walked into a ghost town. Graffiti of local gangs decorated the grey bricks and the boarded up windows. He kept his head down, his bag looped through his arm. There were some gangs that sound it insulting if someone so much as looked in their direction. Liam didn’t need another trouble. 

He counted the familiar cracks in the sidewalk, following the route towards his place. There was a sound of a gunshot not heard too distant but, no one reacted. Liam jogged up the steps still until he made it inside safely. Liam was always thankful that the landlord never replaced the dim light bulbs, he didn’t want to see what decorated the stained walls. Out of sight, out of mind. 

Liam had to jump over a man that was stretch across the entryway to the stairs. The man gave a snort in his sleep before hugging the bottle of booze close to him. Liam made for the third floor as the only means of access to his level was through a staircase on the other side of the hallway. 

“LIAM!” 

There wasn’t enough time to brace himself as Liam crash into the rough carpet of the floor. He groan as a sudden weight was pressed into the back of his legs. Liam had to twist his head to see what strong being took over him. A boy, his hair wild and uncombed, sat on his knees. He smiled at Liam in victory at his triumph, a gap was visible between his upper teeth. 

The boy might have been small but, for a six year old, he certainly knew how to topple someone. Sighed. “Ivan…” He grunted, he let his body relax. “I can’t breathe.”

“Silly, I am on your legs, not your chest,” there was a giggle as Ivan crawled up and stretch over Liam’s back. “Now, I am on your chest.”

“Nope!” Liam protested and quickly turned his body from under Ivan, who giggled at the sudden movement. “Now, you are on my chest.” 

Ivan squealed as Liam ruffled up his messy brown hair, his little hands trying to swat away the lanky boy’s one. He kept it up, laughing along with the boy, he felt such warmth in the laughter. “S-stop!” Ivan squeaked as Liam’s fingers moved to under his armpits. 

“Make me,” Liam grinned. “You shall never defeat me, Sir Ivan! For I am the great giant Laufey!” he roared hard and flipped the boy on his back to assault his ticklish stomach. 

Ivan yelped and his feet kicked into the air, laughter was overtaking his voice. “I will defeat you!” he tried to sound tough through his laughter. “I will crush you, monster!”

Liam didn’t know what stopped first, his hands or the laughter. He eased away from Ivan, he could feel his body starting to quake. _Monster_. The word, so simple but left him shaking. Fierce creatures, powerful and dangerous, their hides as thick as ice. They could loom over the smallest of creature but, could easily be taken down by them. Liam could see figures taking down tall beings, roaring winds howling over the roars. A red cape whipping into the noiseless wind, a cry of grief pain overshadowed by an approaching storm. Liam sucked in a breath as tears pricked at his eyes. 

“Liam?” Ivan sat up, his lungs catching his breath quicker than Liam’s. “Your hair…”

“Ivan! There you are!” A female voice cut over the boy’s. 

Ivan’s attention was quickly taken by the new voice. “Mommy!” He grinned in joy. 

Liam had enough time to fix his hair, he let the black strands cloud over his eyes. He looked up when he heard the footsteps of the approaching figure. A tall woman with auburn hair stood over the boys, her face squished in worry. Ivan ran over and tackled her legs but, she had enough strength to keep straight. She smiled at Ivan and patted his hair, giving him an enjoyable scratch behind the ear. 

Her sharp brown eyes looked at Liam, “Hello, Liam,”

Liam ducked his head down in greeting, grabbing the fallen shopping bag. The milk carton was dented but there was no sign of any leaks. However, the bread bag better resembled a pancake. “Good afternoon, Miss Alena.” 

Alena circled her arm around Ivan and smoothed down his hair. The boy clung at her legs, his face scratching at her pants. “Say good-bye to Liam, Ivan. You two can play later.”

“Bye, Liam!” Ivan waved as his mother pushed him back where she came from. 

Liam watched them until they entered their room before he jogged up the flight of stairs to the top floor. Unlike the first floor, the top one had better lighting to it but, that was only if it was sunny outside. Liam stepped around one the holes in the roof, there were a drift of snow coming through. His door was at the end of the hall, the golden seven dangling by a hook, looking like a backwards L. He pushed through the door, the wood creaking in protest as it had swelled up since he last left it. 

His apartment was barely enough space for one person to comfortably live in. A set of windows was across the door, the view obscured by a tattoo parlor that blared its neon lights despite what time it was. An old mini fridge pressed against the wall, propped up by cinder blocks, a bowl underneath to catch the dripping water. 

Liam set the bag of food near the rusty hot plate on top of the nearly broken side table. A flatten bean bag was the only source of furniture in the living room. However, as his heart sped up in joy, there was something else he owned. 

Like a child during Christmas, Liam ran into his bedroom to make sure it was still there. A twin mattress could barely fit over the wooden frame, it draped over the side by a few inches. The bed itself took up half of the space of the bedroom, the rest was filled with piles of dirty laundry and a book bag. 

He grinned to himself before jumping onto the bed, his bed burying into the plastic protective cover of the mattress. The smell was heaven to him, as it meant it was something new and his. 

His moment of peace was interrupted by the banging of his door. Liam crossed to the front door and peered through the eyehole. Liam had to count backwards from ten as his mind was soon overtaken by fear. There was a part of him that hated that emotion. The young man couldn’t risk setting it off right now. 

Liam unlocked the door, taking away the two security chains before opening it. While Liam had the height, Mr. Langley made up in size by his width. The man’s dark skin sagged off his meaty arms, looking as if he was wearing an oversize human flesh. Despite the weather outside, the man had insisted on wearing a thin cotton tank top, which stretched over his large belly. 

“Talbot,” there was always saliva in his words, it didn’t help his lisp. “I am confused…It seems I have forgotten what today is.”

“Mr. Langley, please…”

“Because I thought today was the 31st but, there was no special gift in my mailbox to celebrate it. I got Smiths, Pratts, Svein, and even Wilson’s special gift. But not _yours_.” 

Liam’s hand gripped along the wood of the doorframe. “If you give me more-” His words were cut off when he was suddenly yanked forward.

He stumbled as he was force to bend over to stare into the lumpy face of his landlord. There was a fine sheen of sweat on his brow, his eyes red with anger. Liam tried to pull free but the hairy fists were refusing to budge. Liam felt a cold chill run down his arms, culminating at his fingertips. 

“Where is my money, Talbot?” Liam head spun as he was shaken by the heavier man. “You are three months behind, I need my fucking money.”

 _Just burn him with ice. End his life._

Liam sucked in a breath. “No!” The landlord narrowed his eyes at him. “G-give me more time!” He pleaded desperately. “One more day and I will give you all the money you need. Please…”

Mr. Langley looked at him for a long pause, Liam couldn’t get a read on him. He held his breath, just in case his money hungry landlord would not give in. His fears were quelled when Liam was shoved back into his room by the landlord. “One day more. One day. Then, I will kick you out.”

“Thank you,” Liam let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

As soon as Mr. Langley walked away, Liam slammed the door closed. He let out a shatter of a breath as the door kept him up. He carefully pulled back his gloves and his stomach sank as he saw the tips of his fingers turning icy blue. Tiny flecks of snowflakes fluttered off the tips, melting they reached the ground. The ice crack sharply as pieces of it began to slip off his hands.

Liam let the ring of ice on the floor to melt. He went back into his room and fished around in the second hand suit he kept for emergency. He pulled back a light leather wallet, fine silk sewn up the sides. A curvy set of initials was tampered at the end; _T.S._

“Well, Stark,” Liam smirked as he threw wallet up the air to be quickly caught. “Time to show you what happens when you play with ice.”

\--

It hurt too much to even breathe, it felt like he was fighting against an awesome force that weighed against his chest. All Liam could do was hug his knee close, making himself smaller to keep the air compact. 

_Decline._

His knuckles were white as snow as they clenched around his legs. As he shook more and more, the harder it was to keep himself solid. Liam felt numb and at the same time, every feeling heighten to the point where every movement he gave, hurt. 

_Decline._

The weak boy wanted to ram his head through the wall over and over again until it stopped hurting. Liam’s lungs wheeze in protest, he could feel fresh tears prickling his eyes. He was stupid beyond reason. He had his chance and he blew it! This is what he got when he thought so selfishly. 

_DECLINE._

“Enough!” Liam screamed into the empty room. There was no one to answer him back. 

The plastic card hadn’t moved where he threw it against the wall but, in his state, it felt as if it was crowding him into a corner. Golden raised numbers and letters stood out against the hot red sheen. _Tony Stark._ Why couldn’t he been like the other stupid rich people and cancelled his card later on? Or earlier on? Why couldn’t that damn inventor not given him hope that Liam could have some of his money by not cancelling it sooner? Why couldn’t Liam not have thought of something more secure than pickpocketing the man?

“Why? Why? Why?!” Liam screamed out. He wanted to cry so badly but, he knew it was a weakness. It was always a weakness to show tears. 

Liam was panting as he looked at his bed. His bed. The bed that came in just morning, that still had the plastic cover on it. It wasn’t much of a bed but, it was his bed. 

He had no one but to blame but himself. Liam knew that he should have spent the money on the rent, rather than the bed. Yet…Liam was sick of sleeping on the floor. 

Liam started when he heard someone knocking on the door. His stomach was tight as he forced himself towards the door. He still had some time before Mr. Langley came and sought out the non-existent rent. 

He was surprised at who was outside. “Miss Alena?”

The mother who lived below him was dressed in her lilac scrubs. Her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, it looked like she did it in a rush. Her normally tanned face looked pale and withdrawn, there were shadows under her eyes. 

“Oh, Liam,” she breathed in relief. “Thank god you are here. I had thought you would be working…”

Liam held back his tongue. Being a pickpocket was not much of a job in retrospect. His eyes soften when he saw Ivan holding onto his mother’s leg. “What’s wrong?”

“I am glad I caught you,” Liam knew what she was going to say before she said it. “There was an emergency and they need me to come in right away. Could you….?”

The little boy looked at him with worried eyes. Did Ivan see his tears from before or now? Liam couldn’t look at him right now. “Of course, I would be happy to keep an eye on Ivan.” 

The nurse looked relieved for a second before a small frown started to appear. “I…I can’t pay you much. Mr. Langley has risen up the rent again and…”

“I understand,” Liam didn’t want to think about the fat man right now. “You can just add it to the bill. I think you owe me a million dollars.” He teased with a smile, even then it felt hollow. 

“How about I make you dinner?” Alena offered instead. 

“Done and done.” The young man winked at the nurse. Alena had the same cute giggle like her son but, her cheeks flush was of a different nature. Liam was starting to feel better, “How long will you be gone?”

“I will be back at ten,” Alena fixed her hair, she was trying to look more presentable with Liam. “If not, just put Ivan to bed in his room, he should be asleep by then and wouldn’t notice the change. He is a heavy sleeper.”

There was a hint to her voice, the older woman wanted Liam to stick around afterwards. She wanted to test her son’s own sleep. Liam had to give her a small smile that didn’t hint at anything. Liam knew that people found him handsome, with his pale skin that was framed by silky and straight black hair. Even people (usually drunk or of the strange variety) loved his blue eyes, there was someone who commented on how it looked like stars in the sky. No matter what people said, Liam didn’t feel it. Although, if Alena wanted to give him a room to stay…

Liam inwardly slapped some sense into himself. He shouldn’t offer up his body just to have a place to stay. He wasn’t one of those boys he saw on the street corners. 

“I will take care of him.”

“Oh, you are a God send!” Alena embraced Liam in a hug. She lingered there for a fraction second more. “Feel free to grab whatever you want from the fridge. See you later, Ivan.”

Ivan squeezed her waist in farewell. He looked up her with his sparkling brown eyes, he looked pained to see her go. “Come back soon, mommy?” he pleaded. 

The nurse kneeled down and stroked her son’s shoulders. She had the perfect soft smile on her face, it was to give her son comfort and security. Liam felt his heart clutched in envy. “Even though I am not with you,” she moved her hand to his chest. “I am still with you, watching over you.” Ivan smiled at her words. Alena kissed her son the forehead. “I will be back soon.”

She turned on him, “Here is the key to the apartment. Just put on the counter when you are done.”

“Yes, ma’am,” 

Alena kissed her son of the forehead before running off in the opposite direction towards the stairs. 

“Bye mommy!” Ivan screamed as she walked down the steps. Liam felt his small hand curling around his, his small body leaned against him. There was a small sniffled from the boy as Alena disappeared from view. 

“Shall we go to your apartment?” 

“Uh huh….” Liam squeezed his hand and pulled him towards his room. 

\--

Liam rubbed his neck, pinching at the tight nerves he felt there. 

What was he going to do? What could he do? 

“Liam?” Liam looked up from his folded hands at Ivan. “Want to play with me?”

He pushed himself down from the threadbare couch to the ground next to Ivan. The boy smiled in glee, he was looking at Liam like he was the sun. 

“So,” Liam turned his head away to avoid the stare. It would hurt less when Liam was force to leave. “What are we playing?”

“The Avengers!”

At the name, he whipped his head to face Ivan again. He was so deep in his own thoughts that Ivan was playing with a pile of toys. It sat off to the side, knocked to the side where a pile of toys spilled out. The little boy was proudly holding onto a plastic figurine of Captain America and the Hulk while the rest were splayed across the floor. 

“The Avengers, eh?” Liam plucked up the cheap plastic figurine of Hawkeye, done in purple because apparently black was too dark for little kids. 

Liam remembered vaguely when manufactures and toy companies started to cash in on the hype of the Avengers after the New York fiasco. He was just glad that he came to New York after the giant tidal wave of merchandise. He had seen old and stained Avengers bed sheets and destroyed plastic Captain America’s shields in the trash many times before. Judging by the scruffs, Alena probably got these toys in a yard sale. 

“You can be Iron Man!” Ivan thrust the more scratched up figurine into Liam’s lap. 

“I…” his black hair obscured his eyes as he looked down at the red and gold toy. Unlike the other figurines, there was no human face which made the toy frightening to look at. “I would rather be Captain America…”

Ivan hugged his favorite hero to his chest when Liam reached for it. “But, you used to like being Iron Man.” He whined. “You used to like him.”

Liam’s fingers flexed into a fist in the air. Although the figure didn’t have an apparent face, Liam knew exactly whose face was under that face plate. A cold chill went down his spine as he could still feel the former hero pressing him against the wall of that dirty alley. The phantom feeling was accompanied by the feel of Stark hot breath on his neck, breathing out threats like they were lover’s whispers. Liam could feel the anger seeping out of his body like it was perfume, hot and heavy and just for him. He began to wonder what it would feel like if Stark was pressing against his body, experience hands sliding down his sides, the heat of desire melting his will. 

“Liam?” 

When the plastic fist of the Hulk smacked into his arm, Liam gave a start. He could feel the warmth in his cheeks before the color could come. He stood up quickly, “Do you want a drink? Good.” He didn’t wait as he quickly moved to the bathroom. 

Liam leaned against bathroom door, he refused to open his eyes. He should feel fear but, all he could remember was how warm the hero felt, how his breath had a linger scent of coffee. The way the billionaire pressed himself against Liam, if things were different, if there wasn’t any desire for vengeance. It might feel good to feel the scratch of his goatee against his sensitive flesh. 

His hand followed the rush of the blood from his head to his ground. Pale fingers squeezed at the hard lump that strained against the fabric of his pant. Liam bit his lip, holding back a groan as imagined what it would feel like if it was Iron Man himself petting him. The metal glove would grip him so firmly, hell, Stark wouldn’t need to be wearing it. He could set it up and watch from afar as Liam came undone underneath the robotic appendage, a chuckle from his lips as Liam looked at Stark with heated eyes, begging for more. 

“Liam?” 

Liam’s breath caught in his throat. As if burned, he ripped his hand away from his growing erection. “Y-Yeah?”

“Where’s my water?”

“Uh….give me a minute…”

Avoiding his own reflection, Liam splashed cold water on his face to dull the heat. He had to stay focus in reality, not on fantasy. He clenched the side of the sink, taking in deep breaths. He had to remember he _hurt_ Tony Stark, financially and physically. There was no way Stark would ever touch him in that way, even if he hadn’t stolen from him. 

The only way Stark would ever touch him was by hurting him in return. He was a hero and he punished criminals. If Stark ever saw him again, he would hurt Liam tenfold. 

_‘You can’t hurt me. I am in control here, boy’_

A cold rush collided with him like a freight train, sending him to collide with the wall behind him. Liam groaned as his back sent out sharp pains when it collided with the wall. He blew out white vapor, as the temperature went below freezing. Spikes of ice sprang from the sink, looking as deadly as swords. 

Liam tread careful towards the sink as the sudden ice had turned the floor slippery. The small bathroom looked like walk-in freezer with the deep frost covering the toilet. He felt no chill as his fingers ran down the side of the ice spear. 

“Fuck!” He hissed as his finger nipped at the sudden edge. A bead of blood dripped onto the white frost. 

Sucking the injured finger into his mouth, Liam found himself staring into his own reflection. His scream was muffled by his finger at what stared back at him. Blue eyes turned as red as the blood pooling into his throat. 

_‘Monster. Better left to slaughter’_

Liam tore himself from the mirror, willing his eyes shut. He started to count backwards from ten, as he was taught. When he went one, he mustered what little strength he had to look back up. He looked normal, there was no sign of any red in his eyes. 

With a strain sigh of relief, Liam filled a glass with water. He walked out quickly, shutting the door behind him to hide his disgrace. Ivan hadn’t moved from the floor, this time making the Iron Man figurine fly around with the Hulk. 

“Here,” Liam offered the boy a smile as well as the glass of water. 

Ivan dropped his toys for the glass. He took a deep gulp, nearly draining all of it. “It’s very cold.”

“Yeah…it is…very cold.”

“I like the cold.” The boy said so innocently, he was so unaware of what his babysitter was or could do. 

Liam felt his lips turn up, “Thanks.” He ruffled up his ginger curls, making the boy giggle and squirm in delight. “The cold likes you too.”

Ivan launched over to Liam’s side and leaned his small body against him. “Can we play?” he held up the hero action figure to Liam’s face, giving him the old puppy dog face. 

“I would rather not,” Liam was nervous about touching him. “I…I am not in the mood.”

“’Kay,” the boy said without missing a beat. “Can you tell me a story?”

“A story?” It sounded safe enough. “Okay…Go get dress and in bed.”

At the promise of a story, Ivan screamed in joy and ran off. Liam paused to give the bathroom a passing glance. He held back a sigh, he would need to take care of the ice before Alena saw. When he got into Ivan’s room, he found the boy tucked in his sheets and surrounded by his many toys. 

“What story do you want to hear tonight?” Liam picked up a random book from the small bookcase. 

“No books!” he protested at the sight of the book. “I want to hear a story about the Sun and Moon princes.”

He stilled, his fingers curled around the book. Ivan was looking at him so desperately. “I am not in the mood for that type of story.”

“But, I want to know what happened to the Moon Prince after the Cosmic Father let-”

“I said I’m not in the mood!” Liam snapped in frustration. A second passed for him to regret it before Ivan started to cry. 

Ivan buried his face into his knees, not wanting to look at Liam again. “You’re mean.”

“Ivan…I…” he reached forward. “…What if I told you a different story?

The small head shook against the kneecaps. “I want to know what happened after the Moon Prince fell into the stars. Does he get a happy ending?” he sniffled, his eyes wet with tears. 

“I am not sure he will ever have a happy ending.” Liam said without a pause. He perched himself on the edge of the bed. “Can I at least tell you a story?” 

Ivan sniffled and drew circles into the bed sheets in thought. After a minute of silence, he nodded eagerly, his sleeve brushing away his tears. He patted the spot next to him, which Liam was pleased to take, and succumb into clinging to Liam like a teddy bear. 

Liam smiled, his pale hand stroking his hair. He cracked open the book. “Once upon a time…there lived an Armored Knight who hide behind his mask. All who saw him saw a smile but, inside, he saw things differently. He felt because he felt something hollow in him. A piece of him was missing. The Armored Knight looked everywhere for this piece of him. He looked under bushes. Under rocks. Even in his mom’s hair. He looked everywhere but-”

“What about the stars?” Ivan’s tiny fingers circled around the cartoon of the gold plated armored prince. “Maybe the Moon Prince can help him?”

For some reason, his stomach flip-flopped like an energetic gymnastic. “I…uh…” His cheeks were red hot. “I am not sure the Moon Prince is in this story….”

“He should,” Ivan snuggled up closer to Liam. “They can find what they are missing together.”

“Can…” Liam licked his suddenly dry lips. “Can I continue?” At the nod, he sucked in a breath to calm himself. “So, one day, the Armored Knight went on a mission….”

\--

Not even the fluffing of the thin pillows was enough to lull his fried brain to sleep. Thoughts were running around his mind, spinning faster and faster enough for Liam to feel sick. Dejected that sleep was alluding him, Liam rolled onto his stomach and used his arms as his pillows. His right hand flexed over his elbow, even under the moonlight, Liam could see the skin around his fingernails were ragged from abuse. Still, like a child, he chewed at his fingers for comfort. 

Liam flopped down on the sleek plastic cover of the bed. He didn’t want to take it off, not when the store might not accept it. He might get some refund if he returned the mattress in good condition. It wouldn’t be enough to pay back Mr. Langley but, it could be enough to live until he found a better place to live. 

“As if anyone could take me…”Liam muttered into his hands. He refused to cry or grow angry at how life just screwed him over. It would do him no good. 

His eyes caught the small black cell phone perched on the edge of his chair. 

_‘You know where to reach me, after your little rebellion has failed…’_

He closed his eyes tightly to block away memories. He couldn’t give in just yet, Liam was old enough to survive on his own without needing _her_ help. It would be worse than being thrown out of the apartment, much preferable. 

Resign to his fate, he shifted in bed and curled under the thin blanket once more. He might be able to at least sleep one night on a real bed again. Just as his eyes closed, a loud sound startled him awake.

Liam launched to his feet, his hand quickly going for the bat he kept under his clothes. His eyes turned hard as he held up the wooden bat like a shield. Like a mouse, Liam moved softly on the hard wooden floors, paying attention to where the floor would squeak. 

His apartment was no bigger than a garage but, with what little he had, it enough to make a difference. His blue eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, guided by the only light that drifted in was a few ray of the neon lights from the tattoo shop across the street. A large shape moved in the center of the room, too big to be a trick of the light. 

Liam’s war cry was followed by the swing of his bat towards the intruder. The intruder quickly spun around, alerted by the shout, moved quicker than Liam. A hand shot forward and grabbed the weapon before it could collided. Liam grunted and pushed himself forward, wrestling for the control of the bat. His opponent was taken by sudden push, which was enough room for Liam to kick at where the knee cap should be. 

The would-be-burglar shouted in pain, hissing in anger. “Sonovabitch!” 

The other hand came out of nowhere and struck Liam hard in the side. Stumbling back, he realized that he no longer had a hold of the bat. Liam couldn’t see the intruder in the darkness, only the outline of him, given the voice. Whoever he was looked at the bat before tossing it over his shoulder and away from Liam. 

“Look,” His voice sounded familiar, as if Liam had heard it recently. The deep voice was edged with arrogance and a sharp tact of smugness. It sounded like _his_ voice! “I am not here to hurt you. I am here to-Woah!”

Liam didn’t even bothered to hold back the ice that began to form around his hand. There was an edge of blue light as it move up his arm. “You!” he snarled, everything was coming right down on him. “This is all your fault! I will end you!”

Liam launched himself forward, his body hard with anger. There was enough time for him to see the blanch face of Tony Stark under the neon lights before he was thrust backwards. His back hit the wall behind him, sending shocks of pain from his earlier confrontation with the billionaire to come back. 

It sounded like a gunshot before Liam’s hands shot backwards into the wall. He growled and lunged forward again but, some great pressure was holding him back. Liam felt like a pinned butterfly, unable to move. 

The genius never left his spot. “Jarvis….lights.”

Liam flinched when suddenly all the lights in the apartment sprang to life. He tried to blink, hoping the action will help with the blindness. When his vision cleared, he could see Tony Stark standing there, his arms folded and his lips turned down as in thought. He wore work-worn jeans that was long enough to hide most of his boots. A black graphic shirt stretched over his body. Surprisingly there were silver bracelets around his wrists. 

“You could have at least let me finished…” Tony let out a long sigh. “It isn’t like I was asking for some….” There was a sudden tilt to his head. “Hold on…There is something different about you.”

Liam was more focused at what surrounded his hands rather than whatever the former hero was saying. Large, hot rod red metal device encircled his entire hand and wrist. It was like it was magnetizing to the wall, it wouldn’t budge no matter how much Liam pulled. His right hand hover over his head whole the left one was stuck at a horrible angle. 

He didn’t notice Stark moving until suddenly his face was right into his. Liam’s voice hitched with new fear. “What…what are doing?!”

“Yeah…” Stark’s hand moved into his vision. “When did you become…”

When he saw where his hand was move towards, Liam gave another attempt to free himself. “Don’t touch!”

“ _Golden_?” the genius tugged on a strand of his hair. 

A curl of blond hair moved into his vision. 

Liam’s jaw went slack as he watched the current bane of his existence play and tug at his hair. The genius looked entranced by the way the hair caught light from the light, his finger following the curl of the hair. “I remember you having black hair…” Tony finally looked at him, his head cocked to the side, he pulled on the hair sharply. “Not looking like a cherub.”

At the name, Liam growled despite his fear. “What do you want, Stark?” He spat out. 

“I want many things,” he let the blond curl go, letting it spring back to its place close to his scalp. “I want to work on my suits, I want to work on my arc reactor technology, I want to climb Mount Everest…but, what I need are some answers.”

“Try the internet,” Liam bit back. Tony chuckled. 

Tony leaned forward, his hand right neat his head, propping himself away from Liam. “Has anyone told you that you are cute?” He teased, almost playfully. 

“Has anyone told you how much of an ass you are?”

“Many times, kid.”

“Have they almost mentioned that you stink of spoiled fruit and cow dung as well?”

Tony clicked his tongue against his teeth, he looked a tad flustered. “Not to my-”

“Or how you threaten rape on a kid a half your age?”

That was enough for the man to back away. Liam glared at him with hard blue eyes, Stark’s browns eyes were full of shock and guilt. “I…I didn’t…”

He tried to lean forward as much as he can. “Do you enjoy pining me to the wall, Mr. Stark?” He bucked his arm for emphasis. “Is this how you get your kicks?”

“Shut up!” the man shouted in his own anguish. “I am sorry, I scared you, alright? But, in my defense, you did stole from me.”

Liam bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste blood. “In your defense?” he mocked. “I barely stole anything from you. A few hundred dollars is not enough for you to rape me!”

“I wasn’t going to do anything to you!” 

“But, you would have let other men do it!” His throat was growing hoarse by his yelling and the memories that were brought back up. Stark stood, gaping like a fish. “You call yourself a hero when in fact you are nothing but arrogant, smug bastard.”

“Look-”

“No, you look,” he interjected. “Look around you. This is a closet compare to your house, maybe even your bedroom. I stole from you because I had to. Not everyone was born with a rich daddy who spoil him rotten. Not everyone is as lucky as you, Tony Stark.”

By the time Liam was done, he was panting from the strain of everything. Bitter tears were stinging his eyes, making the vision of Stark blurry. The genius inventor’s jaw tighten back up again, his dark eyes narrow into slits. Liam pulled back as much as he could with the wall pressed against him, Stark might lash again him. 

Suddenly, the older man pushed against his silver bracelet. Liam fell down, his knees banging against the hard floor. Stark walked forward and a hand entered his vision. “I’m sorry….I really am. Nothing can make up for what I did to you. Let me help you, please. I know some people who can help you….help you with your mutant powers. They can take you in…”

Like a cat, Liam leaped into the air and collided into the genius. They both toppled to the ground, Liam put all his weight into keeping Stark down, his hands pinned above his head. Liam grunted when Stark bucked under him but, he refused to get kicked off. He grinded his hips into him as one hand grabbed both of his wrists together. 

“I do not need help,” Liam spat in his face. “Not from you…not from your friends…not from anyone else. I have survived long enough without anyone else.”

Brown eyes didn’t have an ounce of needed fear. Tony Stark wasn’t afraid of him but, it was enough to keep still under him. Liam straddled his stomach, his boney knees pressed against his side. His blond hair stuck to his scalp from sweat. 

“It doesn’t hurt to have some help,” Tony commented, he spoke with conviction that he was obviously right. “It might not seem effective at the time or maybe even pointless but….no one can’t survive without some support.”

“I can….” Liam wetted his lips. “I can survive.”

“But,” Stark tilted his head up. “Is it even living?”

As if his skin was acidic, Liam pulled abruptly away from the former hero. He swallowed hard, his eyes refusing to move from the man pinned under him. He was completely aware that his apartment was crappy, there were some bullet holes that decorated some of the surfaces, and rats took refuge under his floorboards. But, he choose this place….he choose to survive this way, it was the only thing that he had control over. 

And he was going to lose it all in the morning. 

“Liam,” Stark sat up slowly, he craned his head up to look into Liam’s face. Liam flinched as a hand cupped his cheek, the fingers curled around his neck. “Let me help you…please…”

Liam couldn’t find his voice, his throat refused to work with him. There was a gentleness if Stark’s eyes, there was no pity or hated. He felt his body start to shake, it felt like he was wobbling over a cliff. “I...” His heart was pumping into his ears, deafening everything but Stark’s voice. “I don’t….”

Stark smiled gently, his lips quirked to the side in an almost smirk but, they both knew that Liam was falling for his words. This life style was not fit for anyone. “I will take care of you….”

“Stark…”Liam breathed. He suddenly became aware of the position they were in. His ass rest against the back of Stark’s thighs, his stomach flushed with his chest. The genius’s head tilted up to look up at him, his lips perfectly shaped between thinness and thickness, full of promise and hope. His brown eyes danced in the lights of his apartment. Liam felt himself leaning forward. “Stark…” He whispered again. 

“Yes, Liam?” Stark’s eyes didn’t waver from his. He seemed to tilt his head further up. 

“I…”

A metal face was staring at him. 

Liam snapped his head up at the sight. His jaw went slack at the metal face staring right into him, cold eyes staring him down. It hovered right outside, behind the sheet of glass. The neon lights from behind made the form have an aura of bright colors. A flicker of green fabric flapped into the air. 

“Someone is watching us…” Liam’s voice shook. 

“What?” Stark twisted his head around towards the window. “Fuck! Get down!”

Liam had barely enough time to see a metal arm pointed at the window, a sphere of green light wrapped around the hand, before Stark lunged forward into his body. They collided back onto the ground, the billionaire covering his body. There was a sound of gunfire before the whole wall exploded into a shower of plaster and glass. Heavy footsteps crunched on glass. 

“Give me back what is mine...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of life and school, most of the updates will be bi-monthly. I will update when I can and hopefully, be more lenient with the updates later on. Please do not forget to review and share with your friends. <3 I LOVE YOU ALL!


	6. Ice Ice Baby

Tony was starting to think Liam was cesspool of bad luck. He kept the boy covered by his body as the wall to the outside exploded, drenching them in glass fragments and pieces of brick. He didn’t check to see if Liam as alright before he lifted to see didn’t know how a front door worked.

“Give back what is mine…”

Tony bit his inner cheek hard to keep his face stoic. Standing in the wasteland of debris, stood the metal clad villain with a thing for green. Tony rose from the ground slowly, placing his body between Liam and Doctor Doom. Even from this distance, Tony could see the lack of pupils starring back at him. So, unless Viktor was pretending to be a raccoon under there or this was another one of his Doombots. 

The soulless body stared right back at Tony. It raised its metal hand and he could feel the air popping as the machine pull in energy. The palm was starting to glow green. “Give to me what-”

“Whoa, whoa, there C3PO,” Tony held up hands. “I am not sure what you want but, I sure I don’t have it. See, nothing in my sleeves cuz I don’t have any sleeves on.” Tony showed off his arms, the only thing there were two metal bracelets, perfect copy of the other. 

He sense Liam behind him before he heard the crack of glass under his bare feet. “Mr. Stark….” At the corner of his eye, Liam’s eyes were wide with shock and fear. With Malibu Barbie look he had, Tony wonder wondered why he ever thought of him being a Loki wannabe. “What are you do-?”

“Hey, kid,” Tony whistled at him but, kept his attention on the Doombot in front of them. “Know what this guy is talking about?”

“What?” Liam looked at him, mouth agape. 

“Did you steal something from him?” He questioned. “Like you did me? Oh, Liam, baby…I thought I was your only sugar daddy.”

His cheeks colored. “We should focus on him, Mr. Stark.” Liam stepped forward and glanced at the tall metallic figure. “What do you want, monster? We have nothing for you.”

“Jesus, kid, don’t…”

The Doombot’s hand lowered, the green light blinking out. The head spun on its neck and even though Tony say no eyes, he knew it was looking right at Liam. “…45% of a magical core detected.”

“What?”

“Activating capture program.”

“Oh, balls…”

The Doombot’s hand snapped off, showing off two rounded prongs that looked like spears. Blue electricity danced between them. The Doombot took one step forward toward Liam when Tony reacted. 

“Alright, time to run!” Tony grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him to the side. In the space that Liam was in, the Doombot stabbed the air with electricity.

“Holy sh-!”

“Plenty of time to curse later!” the inventor yelled as he ran towards the front door with Liam. 

\--

Liam gave a scream as he was suddenly pulled back against a hard surface. He could feel the hard metal fingers against his neck as he was lifted up. Stark whirled around, his brown eyes wide with shock. “Liam!”

“Mister Star-!” The grip around his neck tighten, cutting off his words. Liam grabbed at the hand that gripped his throat, but it wouldn’t budge. 

“Let him go!” Stark growled out. 

Liam could hear the gears move under his rapid heartbeat. The Doombot turned its head to look at the smaller man. “Scanning…Anthony Stark,” the voice purred in greeting. It no longer sounded robotic. “What a pleasant surprise…I never expect you to be in the company of a magic user.”

_Magic user?_

Stark picked up the bat from the floor holding it in front of him like sword. “I said…let him go, Viktor or else.”

“Or else what?” The deep voice chuckled. “You are without your suit, Stark. You are helpless.” 

“Oh, yeah?” Stark smirked like the cat that got the milk. His hand moved behind his back. “If you think I came here without a weapon, you are dead wrong.”

Stark moved his hand so suddenly, Liam barely saw him move. Both captor and captive look down at small black sphere that lodge on the machine’s kneecap.

“Come on, Doomy,” Stark chuckled. “You look all frozen stiff!”

A red light blinked out in random sequences before the sphered ignited. Pale frost started to spread from the knee cap and outward, spreading like blood in water. The machine thrashed as it tried to stop the spread, swatting at it like it would a bug. Liam followed the white frost that was creeping up fast towards the hand that was attached to him. 

“Mr. Stark!” Liam screamed out. 

Stark came out of nowhere, the bat raised in the air like an axe before plunging it downward. The arm broke like glass and Liam fell to the floor. He didn’t get the chance to catch his breath before Stark pulled him back to his feet and away from the robot.

They both watched as the Doombot forgot its own care as it lunged towards the pair. Just as the remaining hand reached out for them, the spread of the frost caught up to it. Like a picture, the machine was frozen as a statue. White frost covered the dark metal like flesh. 

Stark chuckled beside him, “Gotta love quickly acting liquid nitrogen.” 

It felt like Liam was caught into a dream, a horrible dream. It had all the elements of it expect for the fact that it was real. The machine was real, the pain was real, and everything was too real. Stark tighten his grip around his waist when he started to sway on his feet. “Whoa now,” a large hand cup his cheek and Liam was looking into his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I am…” Liam wheezed, his throat was constricting against him. “What was that?” he whispered to ease his sore neck. 

Stark followed his sight after a moment. “A product of a baddie with too much money and time on his hands. It’s called a Doombot.”

“A Doombot?” Liam repeated back as Stark untangled himself from the boy. “That is…rather ominous.”

“Yeah,” the genius was poking the frozen helmet with the bat. “It was named after the inventor. You ever heard if Viktor von Doom? Didn’t think so. He made this.”

“Doom….” Liam felt himself ease when the metal statue wasn’t reacting. “I would think there would be alerts about people’s surnames sounding villainous.”

Stark chuckled, his lips pulled to up on one side. “Yeah. A watchful eye on people named Doom, Skull, or….”

“Stark?” Liam suggested. Stark’s eyes narrow slightly until Liam’s lips spread out into a grin, which made the older man follow suit. 

Abandoning the Doombot, Stark made his way back to Liam. He sighed and held back a wince when Stark placed the tip of his fingers against his neck. “…How bad is it?”

He ran his fingers around the ring of the bruise. “Not bad…nothing a piece of meat can’t fix.”

“I bet you have the best kind of meat.” Liam blurted out. He felt his cheeks turn hot as Stark looked at him in surprise. “Uh…I mean…I am going to shut up now.”

Stark chuckled low as he slide his fingers away from Liam’s neck. “Cute.” He winked before his attention was taken by something elsewhere, the whole apartment. “We need to talk, Liam.”

Liam stepped away from the genius, his stomach twisting into painful knots, as he separate the distance between them. “What about?” He kept his voice calm as possible as he moved towards the frozen statue. 

“Your powers for starters.” Stark was right back to being serious. 

Liam didn’t hold back the flinch as he ran his hand along the still extended robot arm. The chemical had cooled off so, it didn’t bother him. “What about them?”

“Liam,” the genius sighed as if he had said it enough times. 

“Mr. Stark.” 

There was a roll of the eyes before Stark started up again. “Where did you get them?”

“Get what?”

“Liam!” the hero snapped, crossing over, they were separated by the frozen statue of the Doombot. Liam hid behind the metallic beast as Stark glared at him over the shoulder. “Be serious here. We both know what you are capable of.”

Liam closed his eyes, remembering what he did to the hero. “I’m sorry…”

“Damn, straight you better be…”His voice dropped. “You didn’t do much damage.”

Liam looked back up when he heard Stark slapping his palm on the shoulder. His breath caught as he stared down at the genius’ left hand. What he did remember of that day was that he really froze that hand in defense, to the point that Liam could already see signs of third degree frostbite before he ran off. Now….his left hand looked fine. 

“Your hand….” Liam reached forward. “It is alright…”

“Yeah….” Stark’s voice trailed off as if he was surprised as well. “You didn’t hurt me, Liam, not on purpose.”

“I…I didn’t hurt you,” he parroted back, his voice lifting. He had to make sure the hand was really there. He ran his thumb across the patch of white flesh between his thumb and index. Liam felt a prickle of energy dance off his fingers. “I didn’t hurt you.” He felt tears prickly his eyes. “Thank God.”

“Liam…” 

A beeping sound cut them off. They both looked at the robot, the soulless pits of the eyes were flashing green. “What the…” Stark darted around the side to Liam, pushing him out of the way. He slipped out a pocketknife, flicking it to a flathead and moved away the green cape. It smashed into pieces on the ground. There was a panel in the middle of the back.

“Mr. Stark?” Liam looked towards the hero. 

He said nothing as he pried the open with the flathead, popping it over. Inside was wires, circuit boards and things Liam never saw before. He saw a flash of green light off to the side before Stark stepped in front of him. “What is this baby doing now?” Stark said out loud. 

Liam stood up straight to look over Stark’s shoulder. He was fiddling with the circuit to the side. As one hand pulled out several colorful wires, another reached into his pocket, pulling out a little glass framed by black plastic. He hooked the wires to the glass and Liam was amazed that digital words appeared. Stark was really a genius. 

His fingers move rapidly on the slim screen, sliding his finger when necessary. “Come on…tell me what you are doing, Doom Doom.” Stark muttered. 

“Mr. Stark?” Liam tried again. 

“Aha!” He cheered in victory. “Core system. It is unable to move so, it is…is….”

“Mr. Stark?!” he cried out in panic as he saw the pale look on the genius face. “What is it doing?”

“Calling in reinforcements.”

That is when the building around them erupted in screams of panic.

\--

“Jarvis!” He spoke into his watch, his best mobile connection to his AI. “Give me a base readout, how many bots are in the area?”

_“By my satellite scans, I have detected six signatures that match the Doombot S.H.I.E.L.D. machines. I have determine that three of those signatures are already in the building, one of which you are standing next to, and two are five kilometers from approaching.”_

Tony swore. Just his luck. “Jarvis,” he couldn’t afford to lose his cool. “Call Steve and-”

_“Captain Rogers is still away.”_

“Natasha-”

_“She is with Dr. Banner and Thor.”_

“Clint then!”

“Sir,” his AI clipped to him, interrupting his master. “All the Avengers are currently not in the area to supply reinforcements.”

Tony ran his fingers through his hair. Everyone was still away, which only left him. “Call….call S.H.I.E.L.D. then! Tell Fury to get him and his leather fetish down here!”

“I have sent out an SOS now, sir. They should arrive here in twenty minutes.”

Tony didn’t know where that blood curling scream came from but, it was not good. “I will evacuate the building,” he dropped his hand and spun around. “Liam, come on and…..”

The space where he was just minutes ago was empty. “Liam?!” He screamed, there was no way that he could have lost the kid in the small space. “Damn it, Talbot! Where are you?”

_“I regret to inform you that Mr. Talbot ran off as we were talking.”_

“God…fucking….” Tony had to suck in a breath and started to count backwards from ten. His heart was racing and he needed everything to be under control. Everything had gone to shit and that left him the only one around to clean it up. “Jarvis, initiate Project Phoenix.”

_“Right away sir…”_

\--  
Liam fell on top of the dumpster’s lid with a thud. He ignored the sharp pain that shot through his legs on impact. Carefully, he slid down the lid to the dirty ground below. He tread carefully on the ground, his thin socks were the only protection he had for his feet. 

He looked up when he heard a high pitch scream. Liam swallowed hard and he had to force himself to move forward and out of the alleyway. He had to keep on walking, no matter how it hurt to walk and how much he heard cries of help. 

_Coward! ___

__Liam covered his ears to block the cries. As soon he could, he would find better clothes and shelter. Then he would call in some help._ _

___You saw that machine…and you are leaving the police to take care of them?_ _ _

__“Mr. Stark can handle them…” Liam hugged his arms to pull in the warmth._ _

___Stark? _His mind scoffed in displeasure back at him, Liam could see a sneer to it. _Yes, let your neighbors be saved by a man who is only useful when he has had a few drinks.___ _ _

____Liam growled at the sarcasm. All his life, he was taught that his survival was paramount, living to the next day was essential. Now, his mind was telling him the opposite. “What do you want me to do?” He asked into thin air._ _ _ _

____He felt a brush along the nap of his neck, which sparked him with sudden shock. _Fight.__ _ _ _

____Liam suddenly felt alone in the alleyway. He looked back at the fire escape he scrambled down from. The screams were still audible. He didn’t know whose those screams belong to but, one of them….was Ivan._ _ _ _

____“Ivan…” He whispered. Ivan was still in there, alone, defenseless._ _ _ _

____Liam lunged forward and grabbed onto the low hanging pole. He scrambled up the ladder and onto the landing. As he sat back on his knees, he heard a crack of noise exploding in the air. Through the mist of the cities’ sky, Liam saw large rockets heading towards the building. His jaw dropped as saw where those rockets were aiming towards…_ _ _ _

____His apartment._ _ _ _

____He swore he saw a metal arm flying into the air before they swooped down and flew into the hole in the side of his apartment. There was no sign of an explosion but, Liam still treaded carefully. He moved to the second floor and found a window close to the fire escape. The room inside was dark but, he could see shadows moving around._ _ _ _

____“Hello?” Liam whispered into the darkness. “Hola?”_ _ _ _

____Liam held back a scream as a face suddenly appeared from the darkness. It was a face of the grandmother, member of the second floor Mexican clan. The old woman looked at him, her glassy eyes shining with fear and surprise. He could see several other shapes behind her._ _ _ _

____“Come on…” Liam moved to the side. “Get through here and get to safety,” they didn’t respond.  
“Uh… escalera… seguridad?” _ _ _ _

____The old woman looked at the window and towards the fire escape. She said something too quick for Liam to catch but, soon other faces started to appear. All of them had the familiar mask of fear as their other neighbors were trying to flee to whatever hell was out._ _ _ _

____Liam was pushed to the side suddenly by the old woman as she scrambled out of the window and onto the landing. Like a cork being popped, the family pushed and piled out. He had to scramble back as they worked their way down the ladder._ _ _ _

____He could breathe easier when he saw the last member of the large family dropping to the ground. As long as they got to safety, he would feel better. Liam crawled into the window and into the now empty room. Like the other apartments, all of them had the same basic form so it was quick work to find the door._ _ _ _

____Liam opened the door just in time to see a group of people running past him. He caught the eye of a running drunkard before a shot of green slammed into his back. Liam held back a shout as he watched the drunkard fall to the ground, his back a smoldering hole._ _ _ _

____Liam was shaking as he stepped out of the doorway. He looked up and saw the Doombot at the other end of the hallway, bodies of his neighbors leading up to him. The machine turned its head towards Liam and regarded him with interest before it spoke._ _ _ _

____“Hello, magic user…”_ _ _ _

____Liam gulped._ _ _ _

____\--_ _ _ _

____The Doombot was rocketed backwards by the large pulse. Tony lowered his arm, his suit whizzing at the movement. The robot made for a large hole in the plaster, it was amazing how the wall was still standing. Tony kept his eyes trained on the gap, the metal legs that hung over the hole didn’t twitch but, he couldn’t be too careful._ _ _ _

____“Jarvis, how much power do I have?” Tony spoke to his AI, his eyes bright from the screens within his helmet._ _ _ _

_____“Little than 40%,”_ Jarvis pulled out the screen of his suit, showing the readouts of the energy flow. The mock up arc reactor core was blinking on the screen in dangerous red. _“If you keep this up, the suit will not last six minutes.”__ _ _ _

____“Six minutes is just what I need.” Tony said with determination. “Jarvis, how many heart signatures do you detect?”_ _ _ _

_____“Sir, the S.H.I.E.L.D agents will be here in fifteen minutes. I suggest that-”_ _ _ _ _

____“How many more residents are still in the building, Jarvis? How many more people need do I need to evacuate?”_ _ _ _

____There was a pause before a screen pulled up, showing a digital outline of the apartment. The AI spoke in a tight tone, he was displeased. _“Seventeen more, sir. I detect seventeen heat signatures, five on the third floor, ten on the second, and three on the first.”__ _ _ _

____“Good.” Tony aimed his gauntlet at the floor below him. He fired a blast and he fell through the hole._ _ _ _

____He landed in a crouch, his fist against the floor. The floor creaked under the sudden weight. He landed right behind the green cloak. Around the metal form, Tony saw the scared citizens cowering under the outstretch arm. At the Doomsbot feet was dead man, his back a smoldering hole._ _ _ _

____“Hey, Doomy,” The Doombot turned its attention to the genius._ _ _ _

____Tony wished his face plate could show the smirk on his face. “Like the new look?”_ _ _ _

____He stood there, blaster trained on the Doombot. In his haste of getting the suit to him, Tony didn’t have enough time to get the hot rod red painted on, black covered the suit where it would be. The bright gold was the only thing that remain from the original design. With such low power, the lights that came from the eyes were red to signify the emergency power. His chest was affixed with an arc reactor power source and give that it was not wired into his chest, there were two smaller ones above the large one, feeding it energy to large one._ _ _ _

____“Not too flashy but, it gets the job done.” Bright red light hovered in his glove. “Like so.”_ _ _ _

____The air snapped with the energy before Tony released it. The second where it would blast off the Doombot’s head before a shield of green cut through its path. The red light was quickly absorbed into the sheer green light._ _ _ _

____“Come now, Stark,” The electronic voice of the Doctor Doom cackled as the green shield disappeared. “You must try harder than that. Let me show you.”_ _ _ _

____The Doombot twirled his fingers and the same red light appeared in his glove. “Fuck-” Tony pulled back, ready to dodge it. If he rolled into open door to his side, he might escape it._ _ _ _

____“Don’t you touch him!” A voice shouted_ _ _ _

____A blast of ice exploded into the hallway. Tony covered his face to protect it from the cold chill. When he lowered his arm, he found the Doombot had turned into a completely icicle. The green and dark metal form was covered in white frost. The Doombot limbs tried to move through the frost, the ice was being cracked off. Tony charged up his gauntlet again, knowing this was his only chance at destroying the metal monster._ _ _ _

____Tony only saw a glimpse of a bat before the Doombot was smashed through. The wooden bat sliced into the metal form. The Doombot looked down at the bat before turning its attention to the person behind it._ _ _ _

____Liam stood there, his clothes ripped from battle, covered in oil and blood. He looked at the robot with hard eyes, there was no fear in them. His blond curls stuck to his forehead, dripped in sweat._ _ _ _

____“Magic user-” The words were cut off when the head was blasted through._ _ _ _

____The now headless Doombot fell backwards on the ground. Tony lowered his arm and looked at the boy. The once cowering group of people was now a running bunch of people, running where the stair case was._ _ _ _

____“Mr. Stark-”_ _ _ _

____“Where the fuck did you go?” Tony shouted, stepping over the broken machine to the boy. With his suit, he towered over Liam by a few inches._ _ _ _

____“I-”_ _ _ _

____“You ran away!” His face plate popped open, his anger evidence on his face. “Why did you fucking ran away? I was trying to protect you.”_ _ _ _

____“I was scared, alright!” Liam snapped back. “I was scared and-”_ _ _ _

____“And stupid!” Tony huffed. “You came back and put yourself back in danger.”_ _ _ _

____Liam’s blue eyes narrowed at the inventor. “If I hadn’t come back, you would have been dead.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh? Is that your excuse?”_ _ _ _

____“Yes it is!” Liam said with authority that supersede his age. He waved his hand towards the dead man on the ground. “Either we keep bickering like school children or we see every one of these innocent, ignorant, stupid citizens die.”_ _ _ _

____Tony’s mouth went dry as he looked down at young man in front of him. He might be half his age but, he sure knew how to get in charge with his words. “Right,” he coughed. “We have three Doombots”_ _ _ _

____“Two…there are two of them left.” Liam commented. “I uh…took one of them out downstairs.”_ _ _ _

____“Well,” Tony smirked at his embarrassed new friend. “Aren’t you just full of surprises.”_ _ _ _

____“More than you know.”_ _ _ _

____Tony rolled back his shoulders. “Right. Let’s get to work shall we?”_ _ _ _

____“Yes, sir,” He spoke the last word after a pause. “How are we going to get down? The staircase will be too obvious of a way to go down. They will be ready for us.”_ _ _ _

____“Easy,” Tony circled his arm around his waist and pulled him flush against his chest. “We take the shortcut.”_ _ _ _

____“What shortcut-” Liam’s voice died in the scream as Tony blasted another hole beneath them, they fell through the remaining floors._ _ _ _

____Liam clung to Tony even after they had landed. Tony chuckled at the way his lithe body was pressed against him. “Getting clingy already? You are too young to get your heart broken.”_ _ _ _

____“Shut up, Stark.” The boy’s growl didn’t have much of an effect when his face was red._ _ _ _

____Tony laughed again and let him go. His face plate snapped back closed as Tony looked around. “If I were a Doombot, where would I-”_ _ _ _

____Whatever Tony was going to say next as forgotten as he was propelled to the side._ _ _ _

____\--_ _ _ _

____“Stark!” Liam shouted when the hero was slammed into the wall by the large green blast of power._ _ _ _

____He looked up to see one of the remaining Doombots walking towards them. The dark metal was painted with the ruby stain of blood. Liam felt his stomach get pulled through him as he saw the fresh blood drip down the arm. It was too much to have come from one person._ _ _ _

____The Doombot paid no heed to Liam as it charged up another blast to kill Tony. Liam let the ice grow on his arm, forming the ice into a frosted sword. With a roar, he charged forward, his ice sword at the ready. He was a breaths hair away from slicing through the helmet when the Doombot noticed him._ _ _ _

____“Wait your turn.” It said before throwing an arm towards Liam._ _ _ _

____Liam let out a groan as he was slammed into the wall. His vision was blurry as he willed his eyes to stay focus. He could make out a black and gold form, blasting fire towards Liam’s attacker. His vision started to return as Tony was firing rapid balls of energy towards the Doombot. The Iron Man wobbled when the Doombot managed to get a blast in, hitting his side._ _ _ _

____“St-stark…” Liam’s voice wheezed as the pain broke through his throat._ _ _ _

____Liam grabbed onto the wall and pulled himself up. Tony gave the Doombot one last blast before the machine flew through the window behind it. There was a crunch of metal on broken plaster and glass before Liam felt his head being tipped up._ _ _ _

____He could see the warm brown of the genius’s eyes, concern and a hint of pride within. “Hey,” Tony’s voice was a whisper, the metal fingered cupping his slopping head. “You okay?”_ _ _ _

____Not nodding for that would hurt his head more. “Yes.”_ _ _ _

_____“Sir?” _The sudden disembodied voice made Liam jump. _“You are at 5% power, I can only supply you one more minute of energy.”___ _ _ _ _

______Liam’s stomach twisted again as he strained to speak. “You are running out of power…”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Yeah…” Tony sounded embarrassed. “New suit, untested, blah blah blah.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Do I need to say how much of an idiot you are? Again?” Liam smirked. “It is fun to say.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“How much….”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Liam was rocketed backwards into the wall again, Iron Man pressed against him. He groaned at the sudden weight was crushing him. Tony’s head flopped onto his shoulder which sent alarms in his head to go off. Liam curled his arms around him, and moved his fingers up. He felt the sting of exposed wire zapping his finger. Liam knew what he would see when he looked down but, he had to._ _ _ _ _ _

______Over the expand of the Iron Man’s suit was a fist size hole that nearly went through all the way. He could feel Tony groan before his head was lifted up from his shoulder. “Stay…stay behind me…”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Tony managed to spin Liam around, the large hole on his back glaring at him. The last remaining Doombot stared at them, not taken another pause to attack as it was already charging up another blast. One more blast and Liam knew that Tony would fall._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Stark, no!” Liam cried out from behind him._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Do as I say, Liam!” The hero growled back at him. There was a hint of pain in his voice, as if there was a struggle to keep his composure._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hand over the magic user, Stark,” The Doombot spoke. “He and his magic belongs to me. I got it fair and square.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You are not putting a finger on him, Doom!” Tony stepped forward, his hand blaster already forming another attack. The red light was flickering dangerously low. “You will have to get through me before you can touch him.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“That can arranged.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“No!”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Liam didn’t stopped to think of the consequences as he ran out of his safety behind Tony. He propelled his body forward and in front of the genius. Bright green light blind his vision before he felt the burning sensation on his body, spreading the pain like wild fire._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Liam!” Someone shouted before Liam fell to the ground in a heap._ _ _ _ _ _

______Everything else as a blur as Liam felt the world was spinning out of its axis. He heard a thundering roar before he heard the explosion. He could feel the heat of the flames in the air. Liam panted, his eyes affixed to the mold ridden ceiling above him. Liam felt the warm blood pooling from his side, it was soaking through his clothes._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hey,” The bare face of Tony made its way through the haze. He felt a warm hand press against his side, holding the blood in. “Stay with me, okay?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Mr. Stark…” Liam eyes felt heavy and his body began to sag into slumber. “There’s a boy….a boy named Ivan…”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Don’t you dare talk like that!” Tony growled, he wasn’t going to let Liam succumb to the pain. “You hear me? Do not talk like that! You are going to get out here just fine.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You are such….an…idiot…”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“Liam?” Tony called out. “Liam?! LIAM!”_ _ _ _ _ _


	7. Flurries

Tony scrubbed at his face, the growing whiskers scratching against his palms. He had no idea how long he had been standing there, watching through the thin panel of glass but, given the pressure in his feet, it was more than someone might stand. Tony kept his hands to his face, his fingers cupping his nose as his hands had nowhere else to be. 

It felt like it had been days, weeks, since Tony slept. Or even ate. Or it could have been hours since he had done both. Everything was in a haze. Right now, though his body yearned for both, his mind was always the key factor in everything. And his mind was harboring at guilt. 

It was his fault. It was his fault that Liam was laying on a bed behind that glass, hooked up machines as an absent medical staff monitored his vitals. A cold feeling washed over him when he wondered how many people Tony sent to the hospital, or let them be injured because they thought he was worth the trouble? 

“Stark.” 

Tony dropped his hands to the side, plastering on a fake smile at the approaching agent. “Coulson,” he looked at the ever stoic face of the Agent. “Still looking good for a dead guy. I got to ask; do you sparkle in the Sun? Or do you want to feast on my flesh?”

The agent gave him a tight smile, the best Tony could ever get from Coulson. “Your flesh will not be appetizing even for me.” He stood next to Tony, his eyes trained at the bed through the window. 

Liam was stretch out in the hospital bed, the clean white sheets made his golden curls stand out even in the florescent lights. His head was tilted towards them, his eyes closed in an induced sleep, his black eyelashes curled against his skin. Under this light, even though what he had been through, maybe Tony was wrong to see his skin as pale white. It was more of what used to be a natural tan turned pale due to the lack of sun this season. 

“I would have thought S.H.I.E.L.D. would have a more colorful hospital gown,” Tony kept his eyes focus on Liam. “At least something more colorful than white. I would have been fine with pink.” 

“We will look into that,” Coulson looked at him from the corner of his eye. “When you land yourself in the hospital.” 

Tony shifted in his spot, the agent certainly had a way to sobering people up. He might not be jumping around in skintight leather like Natasha or Clint but, Coulson knew exactly how to knock down people. 

The inventor saw the folder in the agent’s hands. It was thick, too thick. “How many?” He hoped that Coulson didn’t catch the hitch in his words. 

“Ten,” He replied unattached as a typical agent would but, the hitch to his voice showed that Coulson wasn’t some typical agent. “Ten dead, fifteen are critical injured, and the rest are scared.”

“Jesus,” Tony gripped the slim edge of the viewing window. He rested his forehead against the glass panel, his whole being wishing that everything was a nightmare. He didn’t see the numbers, he saw the faces of those hurt because they were in that building. Did he saw them? Was there was chance that…that Tony could have saved them?

“Is…” Tony opened his eyes and looked back at the sleeping boy. Liam’s last words.“Was…is there a kid on that list? Named Ivan?”

There was a pause and Tony could see through the reflection in the glass that Coulson looked surprised at Tony’s request. He opened the file and Tony waited on baited breath for the agent’s answer. 

“No.” Tony let out a large sigh of relief. “Ivan Stalnik is currently with his mother in a hotel S.H.I.E.L.D. provided for them.”

“Thank God.” Tony whispered. There was barely any time for Tony to see to check on Ivan (whoever he was to Liam) before S.H.I.E.L.D. showed up. 

“Stark,” the agent went back to into business mode. “We need to talk.” 

Tony stood back up, a pout on his face. “Oh, Philly baby…don’t break my heart. I promise to be good…I promise to be more attentive. Just don’t break my heart.”

The agent wasn’t having it right now. Maybe one joke a day was all he could take. “Fury wishes to talk to you about the attack.” 

Tony rolled back his shoulder and stood up straighter. “If you give me some time-”

“Now, Stark.” Coulson insisted. 

“I need to make sure that Liam will be-”

“Mr. Talbot will be here when you come back,” Coulson promised.

“Are you going to keep interrupting me again because-”

“I have a Taser on me.”

Tony paused. “Lead the way, Agent.”

\--

He might have graduated from school years ago but, Tony knew the feeling of being called in to see the teacher after class. Professor Eyepatch was pulling the silent approached this time, harboring a storm behind his tight lips. He was waiting for Tony to break the silence, to admit to some guilt. Tony held back a twinge of a smirk; Fury would have to wait for a long time for that. 

Either he or Fury would stare at each other for all eternity or someone would have to make the first move. Yet, when his eyes passed over to the clock, he knew he had to do it. Liam could wake up any minute. 

“So…” Tony clicked his tongue against his teeth. “See the latest Project Runway, Nicky?”

“What did you do?” Fury ignored his question. “We told you to stay and examine the Doombot’s mechanics, not summon a whole army of them!”

“It’s not like I sent out an invite for a slumber party,” Tony frown. “We didn’t even get a chance to braid each other’s hair.”

Fury was not having it. “People are dead, Stark.”

A deep, red, hot fury overtook him. Tony’s palms were starting to bleed by the half-moons his nails dug into his flesh. “You don’t think I know that already?” He held his anger in check. It wouldn’t do well to scream. “I know people are dead, Nick. I saw them die. I tried my best but, no one is perfect. If you want someone to blame…blame Doom!” 

Tony wasn’t going to become S.H.I.E.L.D.’s scapegoat. 

“And why did Doom attack that place?” 

His words took Tony by surprise. It was something Tony had been wondering about ever since the attack but, attempting to investigate it or go over through his head was useless when it was blocked by concern for Liam. “I don’t know.”

It was when Fury wasn’t yelling him that Tony made concern. “Five Doombots arrived at underprivileged apartment complex in the middle of the night. You happen to be there. And that boy happened to be there. I want to know which one of you he was targeting.” 

He winced. Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D. would be interested in Liam. They did arrive at the apartment minutes after Liam had fallen. Tony flexed his hand, he could still feel Liam’s warm blood against his, as Tony struggled to keep the pressure on. No matter what Tony did, Liam didn’t wake up. The agents would have seen Liam as just a helpless victim in the chaos and moved passed him; to clear the area. 

As soon an agent approach Liam, to help him, all attention was focused on Liam. A spear of ice shot out from Liam’s clenched hand, impaling the agent through the shoulder. It had to be an unconscious decision, an instinct like the way how a wounded animal lashed out. It had to be. 

Tony still saw the tiniest of smirks on Liam’s face at the agent’s screams. 

“You guys did give me a Doombot to tinker with,” Tony said, throwing the trail away from Liam. “Maybe there was something that latched onto me while I was fiddling with it. As per your orders.”

Fury’s lips were tight. “I thought you would have scanned for any tech like that.”

“You forget that Doom works with magic,” Tony stood up from the chair. “Magic can make strange things happen. We all remember Loki, don’t we?”

That was the wrong thing to say. “Speaking of the bag of cats…” Fury kept his spot in his chair as he reached for a file. “That William “Liam” Talbot….he does bare a remarkable similarity _to_ Loki.” 

Tony inwardly cursed. Tony might have sprayed Liam with an S.H.I.E.L.D. pheromone. There were some similarities between Liam and the crazed god; too many to ignore. Still, Liam didn’t have that look of crazy or the dark look of power in his blue eyes. He was…too innocent. 

“Loki is dead.” Tony reminded Fury. “Thor told us.”

“And yet,” Fury flicked the file open. “There was no body.”

Something in him told him to run before Tony said something stupid. He didn’t know what he could do but, the fear was pulling at his stomach. “Do you really want to ask Thor to dig up his own brother’s bones? I thought you would have wanted to retire at age 60.” 

They both knew that even though Thor had his naïve moments, he was a force to be reckon with. “We cannot ignore this, Stark,” Fury looked up. “Mr. Talbot will stay-”

“No.” Tony said quickly. 

“No?”

Tony could see Liam in the hospital bed, laying there with an eerie stillness. If he just let S.H.I.E.L.D take Liam, he would be dooming the boy to horrible tests. “He comes with me.”  
“Excuse me?” Fury stood up, shocked at Tony’s words. He wasn’t the only one. 

“He is still a civilian,” Tony stood up to look Fury in the eye. “And he has rights. And I will not let you violate them. He comes with me when he is stable.”

“If you think I would let you walk out with that boy, you are mistaken, Stark.” Fury eye narrowed. He was ready to clamp his teeth right into Liam. 

But, Tony saw him first. Tony stepped forward towards him. “If I have to call in my lawyers…Pepper…to get him free then I will. He did nothing wrong. No, do not start. He is just a boy who is scared.” 

There was a moment where Tony thought Fury was going to punch him. “And what would you do with him once he is in your possession?” there was a hint of an accusation to his voice. As if Tony was going to something worse than S.H.I.E.L.D. 

“I still have Loki’s DNA,” the inventor reminded Fury. “I can match it against Liam’s and see if it is a match. And I will also be looking into the fact he is a mutant.” 

“Are you suggesting bring _those_ …people into this mess?” 

“Best case scenario….yeah.” Tony grabbed his coat. “Now, if you will excuse me…I need to grab a cup of coffee and play nursemaid.”

Tony moved towards the door but, Fury’s voice called him back. “And the worst case scenario? That Liam is Loki?”

Tony paused. His hand rubbed against the phantom grip on his neck. Out of everything that happened, Tony remembered the iron clad grip of that mad god. 

“Then…” Tony stared ahead. “Thor will get his body.”

\--

Being inside the hospital room was like being trapped in a lock box. The walls were made purely out of metal and smooth as water, expect for the screws along the seams. Tony would have gladly take a typical, bleach white hospital room instead of this place. At least there was a less likely chance at being watched. 

Tony sipped on his third cup of coffee, the caffeine buzz having wane from the first sip of the bitter coffee. He didn’t doubt that both hospitals and S.H.I.E.L.D. got their coffee from the same place. He caught another yawn in his hand, this one bringing tears to his eyes. 

The hero looked at his sleeping companion, who hadn’t moved since he first left. It was only by the heart monitor that Tony knew that Liam was still alive. The doctors said that while the surgery was a little touch and go, Liam could be able to move after he woke up with a full recovery ahead of him. The scar might be enough to seduce the ladies. 

Tony placed the half empty coffee cup to the bedside table and drew his chair closer to the bed. A golden curl fell onto Liam’s eyelid and Tony couldn’t stop himself. He reached forward, his fingers pinching the hair between them. Despite how shiny they were, the hair felt greasy and slimy. What Tony remember of Liam’s apartment, there wasn’t a sign of a working bathroom. 

A soft sound stirred Tony from his thoughts. He sat there, frozen as his eyes looked towards Liam. Behind his eyelids, his eyes were moving rapidly. The heart monitor was speeding up, beeping quicker and quicker. 

“N-no….” Liam’s voice broke in his throat. “Mother…not again.” 

His long fingers curled up sharply, into claws, the dull nails scratching at the sheets. Liam’s fingers couldn’t find purchase as his breath turned into whimpers. It sounded painful, as if Liam was being tortured. 

“Liam…” Tony moved closer to side, his voice gentle. 

“No….I’m….” Liam’s whimpers were now sobs. 

Tony gripped his shoulders, his thin bones pushing into his hands. “Liam! Wake up!” he shook him. “It is just a-”

His words were stolen as Liam snatched them into his hand. Tony choked as Liam’s thin fingers dug into his neck. The boy was sitting up, his hand shaking as he tried to take away Tony’s breath as well but, his eyes were closed in sleep. 

“Kid…” Tony grunted. “It’s me. Stark….Tony.”

Whatever strange spell over Liam broke as his eyes were snapped open. “S-Stark?” he sounded scared, higher pitch from fear. He looked down and his blue eyes went wide in shock. Liam pulled his hand away as if Tony’s flesh as acid. “Mister Stark…”

Tony rubbed his neck, the kid had a grip but it wasn’t something that would leave a bruise. He held back a retort as Liam pushed back into the bed, his knees drawn up to his chest to make himself smaller. 

“I’m sorry….I’m sorry…” Liam buried his face into his knees. 

If coffee couldn’t wake him up, being choked by a boy with ice powers certainly did. “Liam…” he moved onto the bed, his hip resting against the side closest to Liam. “I am not sure I like that record anymore. It is getting a bit scratchy.”

“I hurt you…again…” Liam dug the heel of his palms into his eyes. 

“It wasn’t the first time I got choked,” Tony grinned at the boy. “And I really doubt it was will be last. How do you feel?”

Liam lifted his head, his face open to his emotions. Fear drain into shock and wonder. Wordlessly, his hand moved down his side and pulled up the paper thin hospital gown. A large gaze wrapped around his mid-section, covering his thin stomach in cotton. 

“The attack….” Liam voice moved from being weak to being strong with concern. “The attack. Ivan…did you remember about Ivan?”

Tony wondered who Ivan was to Liam. How important could he be for Liam to ask to protect Ivan on what could have been his last moment? Tony was tempted to say that Ivan perished just to see his reaction. However, by the steel need in Liam’s eyes, Tony couldn’t be cruel. 

“He is fine,” Tony said after a moment. “He and his mom are safe.”

Liam let out a heavy sigh, as if a huge weight was taken off his shoulders. “Thank God,” he smiled softly, no doubt thinking about Ivan. “I should have went back for him. He was in my charge…I was supposed to take care of him. I shouldn’t have left without him.”

“What? You were his…babysitter?” Tony was suddenly ten times more confused. There went the idea that Ivan was someone older and really, really close to Liam. His stomach uncurled. 

“I really doubt Miss Alena will pay for my services again…” Liam threw off-handily with a dry tone. 

Tony coughed. Liam wasn’t the only one with a weight lifted from him. That meant Liam was free, single…Tony shook his head. He needed a distraction before his mind went down a dangerous path. The sight of blood was the perfect distraction. The red was inking through the gaze, staining like a river against the white. 

“I should get someone to change it,” Liam’s finger ran along the side of the blood. “Before we leave.”

“Leave?” Liam echo in question, his attention drawn back to reality. “We….this isn’t a hospital, is it? Not a normal one?”

Tony smirked. “Caught on that, did ya?”

“If it was a normal hospital,” Liam looked around the room. “There weren’t be cameras in each corner. Where are we?”

“S.H.I.E.L.D.’s HQ in New York. They brought you in after the attack,” Tony answered him but, no doubt there were more questions springing up. “They have a tendency to be less than comforting in their helping.”

Liam’s thin lips curled down, the secret agency leaving a sour look on his face. His fingers curled into his palm, through the unknown annoyed look, Tony saw a twinge of worry. “S.H.I.E.L.D….” His voice was heavy. “I’m guessing they are not monitoring me just for my safety but, perhaps theirs.”

Tony didn’t know the history between Liam and S.H.I.E.L.D. but, it was definitely a sore subject. “Well, you do have control over ice.” 

Liam rounded on Tony, his eyes wide with shock. He was looking at Tony as if he was the one stabbed him in the back. “Hey, before you go all Et Tut Tony…” Tony held up his hands. “I didn’t tell them. They found out on their own.”

“How?” his voice wavered. “How?”

Tony stood his ground despite the dangerous edge to his voice. He spoke to Liam calmly. “In your sleep….unconsciousness….you accidently stabbed an agent.”

There was a moment where Tony didn’t know if Liam heard him or not. Then his lips started to open and close like a drowning fish. Liam’s hands rose in the air, there were cuts from the fight but, Tony could only imagine what Liam was seeing. Blood on his hands. 

“I…” His voice was turning weaker again. 

“Didn’t kill him,” Tony interrupted. “He is fine.”

“I still hurt someone.” Liam’s clenched his eyes shut at his own confession. “That’s why I am here, isn’t it? Because I hurt one of them….they want to hurt me back.”

There was something strange to Liam’s voice. It was as if Liam was repeating someone else’s words back to Tony. The enigma that was Liam was begging stranger and stranger. And Tony wasn’t himself if he didn’t want to solve the puzzle first. 

“No,” the tone in his voice forced Liam to look at him. “They won’t harm you while I am around. I know S.H.I.E.L.D. enough to know their bedside manner could use a lot of work. Once you are ready and the doctors give the all clear, we are leaving.”

“Leaving?” Liam leaned closer to Tony, as if he was listening on a secret. “Where are we going?”

“To the greatest place on the planet.” 

\--

Apparently the hospital staff wasn’t so keen on Tony whisking Liam away. Tony had to wait a few more hours, forced out of the room so the doctors and nurses could check Liam over once more. Tony’s body was humming from sheer exhaustion when Liam emerged, with fresh bandages, pain killers, and list of instructions for taking care of his injury. 

Despite Tony pulling on his proverbially sleeve, Liam thanked each and one of the doctors and nurse with a smile. A few of the female doctors and nurses were all giddy when he kissed their fingers in thanks. Tony mumbled ‘show-off’ under his breath, wondering why Liam was giving some much praise to nameless doctors when it was Tony who pulled Liam to safety.

“Are you ready to go, Mr. Stark?” Tony opened his mouth to complain about Liam’s lack of sympathy for him but, closed his trapped at the easy smile on his face. 

“Yeah, let’s roll,” Tony couldn’t help the pun. The nurses did put Liam in a wheelchair, as was their policy. Who would have thought that S.H.I.E.L.D. had some good people in it?

Liam rolled his eyes and followed Tony down the elevators. It was already dusk when they emerged from the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Apparently, having their entire base in the sky was just asking for trouble. Happy stood up from his spot against the car, looking between Tony and Liam. 

Tony might have forgotten to tell his driver about the extra passenger. 

“Tony…” Happy’s frowned as he stared down the kid in the wheelchair. “Who the…”

“Happy, Liam. Liam, Happy.” Tony said point blank, already moving to his side of the car. He desperately needed some sleep and some food. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Happy,” Liam was all pleasantries. Could be the painkillers kicking in. 

“Yeah,” Happy was caught up a state of confusion. It wasn’t like Tony brought worst passengers along. Liam was….top fifteen. “Do you...” The driver gestured to the wheelchair. 

Liam wheeled his chair back when the bodyguard approach. Tony made a mental note of that. “I…I’m fine,” he stuttered. Liam showed him by lifting himself from the wheelchair and onto the sidewalk. Tony saw a shimmer of pain on his face before Liam pulled it together. “Thank you, though.”

Happy nodded. “Sure,” he looked over at Tony, who was halfway into the car. “Where am I taking him?”

Liam opened his door and maneuvered his body into the side behind the driver. Tony rolled his shoulders and eased himself into the plush leather surface of the car. Liam hand hovered over the seatbelt before his attention was taken elsewhere. The car was more of a miniature size limo, with plenty of leg room and a small mini-fridge between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s. The whole area smelled of leather, real leather, not the synthetic crap. 

“Wow…” Liam breathed, looking at the vehicle like it was the ninth wonder of the world. 

“You like it?” Tony grinned, knowing the answer. “Surround sound speakers, twenty-four horse power engine, built in television sets,” he flipped up a panel in the roof, showing off the screen. “With Blu-ray of course. Oh, and wi-fi.”

Tony was so entrench in watching Liam’s awe inspiring expression that he didn’t hear Happy’s words. He finally took notice of his bodyguard slash driver when his round face emerged into is vision. “Where am I taking him?” he pointed to Liam. 

“Stark Tower.” 

Both of them had similar shocked faces but, Liam was more expressive. Tony waved Happy off, letting his driver start the car. They only began to drive for a minute before Liam managed to find his voice. “S-Stark Tower?” His voice trembled. Tony might have been sleep-deprived but, he knew he heard fear in that voice. “But…why?”

“Did you think I would take you to Disneyland?” Tony arched an eyebrow. “Put on your seatbelt, Liam, before we have to go back to the hospital.”

Liam’s face colored as he snapped the seatbelt over his chest. He looked back at Tony, he wasn’t going to let go. “Why are you taking me there?” It was almost like he was asking what he do to deserve it?

Tony’s eyes rolled at Liam’s inability to just take the offer. “One; your apartment….would you call that an apartment, even?” Tony didn’t let Lim answer. “Got destroyed and so if you want to go back and sleep with a new bay window, you need a place to stay. Two; you look like you could use a good sleep that isn’t in a crappy hospital bed. And three….” Tony’s voice trailed off. 

_‘And the worst case scenario? That Liam is Loki?’_

“Three?” Liam pushed when Tony fell silent. 

“Because I said so,” Tony said in a rush to cover up his tracks. “Now, save it.”

Liam, looking as if Tony just kicked his puppy, sat still. He looked towards the window, looking through the tinted glass at the rushing scenery. With everyone’s attention on other matters, Tony looked at Liam with a studious eyes. The first moment Tony saw Liam, he swore he saw a copy of Loki standing in front of that painting. 

The way Loki’s face was shaped, sharped and deadly at his cheekbones was still present in Liam, if not at a softer hue. There was more meat on his bones, making his face fuller than the gaunt god. Fuck, Liam even had strange powers. Give Liam a few years and he would look exactly like Loki. 

Tony scrubbed at his face; just because he bare a resemblance to the god didn’t make Liam so. He needed to see hard proof, hard evidence. 

He needed to know what to do with Liam. 

-

The billionaire was thankful that the trip to the tower was in silence. He didn’t want to slip up and say something that would tip Liam off. Liam shuffled into the elevator in the garage, taking a place against the backside wall, lowering his shoulders to make himself look smaller. 

If Liam was Loki, then he was a good actor. He definitely know how to play up the innocent victim. 

Liam supported himself against the wall, the painkillers must have dulled some. “Do...do I have to repay you?” He asked with a worried tone. It sounded forced, Tony could even detect acid bile in his voice. 

“Repay me?” Tony pushed the button for the penthouse. “Snowflake, there is no way in hell you have enough money to repay me.”

“There is are other ways….” He whispered, his voice lowered as to not show the fear. “With my body?”

Tony was so taken back that he had to grab hold of the railing to keep upright. He turned to Liam, his brown eyes flared up in shock. “What?!” Liam didn’t seem to be joking about this. “Of course not! Liam…just…relax, okay? I just want you to stay here, get some rest, and relax. You don’t have to repay me in any way. Got it?”

Liam let out a sigh. “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

Tony’s smile was uneasy, he wanted to reassure the trouble wart in his elevator but also probe the wart for more information before it popped. “What did you think I would ask you to use your body for me?”

Liam’s cheeks colored and by the way his eyes glanced downwards, Tony wasn’t completely convinced it was from embarrassment. “Because-”

The arrival ding of the elevator cut him off. Tony shrugged his shoulders, ending the conversation. He had other things to worry about other than Liam’s thoughts. 

“Tony?”

Tony’s head popped up when he heard his name called. Across from the elevators, sitting in the circular couch and dressed in business attire wrinkled by fast travel, was Pepper. It felt like weeks since he last saw her, angry at him for getting drunk. 

“Pepper…” Tony breathed, his body growing taunt. He didn’t need her protests on his mind right now. 

His secretary turned CEO turned fiancé looked at him, a face white with shock framed by red Pepper launched forward from the couch, her eyes trained on Tony. Before he had a chance to explain, to get a small apology in, to settle her mind, Pepper wrapped herself around him. 

“Thank God,” she buried her nose in his neck, breathing in the stench of sweat and oil. “I was so worried.”

Tony’s heart thawed as she clung to him, too scared to let go of him. He curled his arms around her, pulling her closer. He didn’t realize how much he missed her until her warmth was around him, comforting to his tired soul.

“I’m here,” he stroked her hair. Her hair wasn’t as smooth as it was usually, which meant she got ready in a rush. Tony’s back went rigged when he heard gentle sobbing. “Hey, hey,” he pulled her away and stared at her. “I’m here. Safe.”

“Coulson called me, said you were attacked by robots,” Pepper brushed away her worried tears. “I can’t leave you anywhere without you making a mess of things.”

Tony laughed, kissing her forehead. “I made it out, unscratched,” he bit his inner cheek. His back had a large bruise where the Doombot attack. It could have been worst if it wasn’t for the underlying armor underneath his suit. The less Pepper knew, the better. “I’m fine.”

Pepper looked at him. Her eyes narrowed. Tony knew he was in deep trouble. “We will talk later,” she promised. Pepper knew how to read him like an open book. “I am just glad you are alright.” Her worry soften the blow of her words. 

“Thanks, Pepper.” Tony let go of Pepper when he noticed her darting her head over his shoulder. 

Liam stood there, looking as lost as a mouse in a cat convention. He swallowed, his body shifting on the balls of his feet. His eyes were looking at everywhere but the couple, out of sheer embarrassment. The blond boy stopped when he felt their eyes on him, his face turned a deep red from the spotlight. 

“Don’t I know you?” Pepper studied Liam closely. 

“Um…” Liam rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Yeah, you two did,” Tony curled his arm around Pepper’s waist. “At the charity fundraise. Pepper, let me re-introduce you to Liam Talbot. Liam, this is Pepper.”

Her eyes flicked from his face to his hair, obviously knowing the sharp difference. It was hard to not notice the lack of lanky black hair Liam wore on their first encounter. “It is nice to meet you again, Mr. Talbot.” Pepper smiled in greeting. 

Liam’s pink tongue darted out to rewet his lips. “Likewise….I mean…” he lifted his head. “I won’t be much a bother, Miss Potts.”

“Liam will be stay with us for a little while, Pep,” Tony explained. “Just until he can recover.” 

Pepper gave Tony a quick glare, telling him that after Liam left, they would have a long discussion. Her eyes soften when she looked back at Liam. “There are spare bedrooms down the left hall. Feel free to use any one of those. Each room has an en suite bathroom you can use, and clean linens.” 

Liam’s blue eyes went wide as saucers at the thought of a bedroom. Pepper gave him a nod, pointing towards the direction of the bedrooms. “Thank….thank you…” 

“We will talk later, Liam. Alright?” Tony said quickly. 

Liam nodded, giving them both a more relaxed smile. The thought of using the bathroom seemed to do wonders for the boy. “Thank you, Mr. Stark and Miss Potts.” 

“Be careful, the shower has a lot of heads…it can become confusing.” Pepper smiled at the awe-inspiring look on Liam. He looked ready to faint from joy. “We will come by later for food. Now, run along and enjoy it, Mr. Talbot.”

Liam grinned and walked down towards the hallway, a slighter spring in his step. Tony couldn’t help but smile at his retreating form. He was a cute kid, acting like everything in the tower was something amazing. Well, Tony did build all of it. 

“Now,” Pepper’s voice turned cold. “We are going to have that talk, Tony.”

\--

Pepper was quiet as she sat near Tony’s workshop table. Tony sipped on a bottle of water, his throat was parched after spending so much time explaining to Pepper what happened from the time she left to now. His fiancé hadn’t said anything, soaking it all in like a sponge. Now, she stared at a spot over his shoulder, her mind working through the chaos that was the past few days. 

“Yeah, that’s it.” Tony said, finishing the story, as if the silence wasn’t the mark it was.

“What will you do now?” Pepper, the ever forward thinker she was. If she had any questions, they weren’t going to be brought up anytime soon. “What if that boy _is_ Loki? We can’t let him loose on the world…he is dangerous, Tony. Even if he isn’t Loki.”

Tony winced. Maybe telling Pepper about Liam’s ice abilities wasn’t a good idea. “JARVIS?”

_“Mr. Talbot is currently sleeping in the room two doors away from the linen closet.”_

JARVIS pulled up a screen on the nearest monitor. Sure enough, Liam was sleeping soundly in the bed, a look of content on his sleeping face. Next to the image of the sleeping kid was several more, smaller screens. One screen for his vitals, one for his heat signature, and one of a close-up on his face. A gathering of golden curls had fallen over one of his eyes.

 _“I have always locked down the elevator from admitting him access,_ ” the AI went on. _“He is only allowed on the penthouse floor.”_

“If he even breaks wind, I will know,” Tony threw out his arms, asking Pepper what more could she want. “I am taking every precaution available.”  
Pepper looked at each of the screens with worry on her face. She only knew of Liam’s abilities from what Tony told her, and what he didn’t tell her. Liam had a way about him, turning from completely innocent and naïve to becoming vicious and fierce. And a little bit sassy. 

Her eyes grew heavy, as if in mourning, looking at the almost angelic image of the Liam. Was Pepper already getting attached? “How long will it take for you to know?” 

Tony’s lips held a grim smile as he took out a ziplock baggie from his pocket. Tucked inside was the bloodied bandages, the red turning more rust in the plastic bag. Tony had took it from the trash while the nurse’s back was turned. There was enough blood in the gaze for him to extract DNA. 

“I will take samples from his blood and run some tests,” Tony put the bag between them. “Compare it to the DNA samples we took from Loki and look for any mutation in his DNA. Even if he is the more Swiss version of Bambi; Liam has powers that need control.”

Pepper nodded in understanding. She reached forward and took Tony’s hands in hers. Her fingers felt warm around his clammy hands. Her eyes were open, showing her understanding of the situation as well as her concern for Tony’s safety. “Tony, just be careful. Alright?”

Tony chuckled, squeezing back softly. “Honey, I have that recorded as my ringtone,” he grinned once more but, Pepper didn’t respond back in kind. He sighed and turned more serious. “I will be careful. I promise. I am Mr. Safety.”

“Liar…” she said after a pause. “You are Mr. Safety’s estranged brother, Lord Explosions.” 

Tony shifted closer to her, the only thing between them was the table and the bag of Liam’s bloodied gaze. “Oh? A lord, am I?” Tony grinned. “Maybe this lord should go down from his castle and check out his subject’s rose garden? To make sure they are nice, plump, and vibrate.”

Pepper giggled, a blush on her face. She looked tempted to let him inspect the fields, given the way her eyes expanded. His fiancé leaned forward, cutting their distance further. “Lord Explosions,” her voice heavy and breathy. “I am afraid you misunderstand. I am not your subject…I am your Queen.” 

Tony felt a shiver run down his spine. His breath hitched as he felt her hot breath on his face. “May the Lord pay homage to his Queen?”

Pepper pulled back, letting go of his hands. She stood up, her back straight as an arrow, the air of regency perfuming her body. She gazed down at him, superiority in her every look. “Start on the experiment,” she gestured to what was at hand. “Then….Lord Explosion can pay homage.”

Pepper turned on her heel and walked out of the lab, her pointed heels clicking on the steps. Tony swallowed, his body shifted to follow her. However, the sight of the baggie was the proverbial cold shower. 

Tony sighed. He had work to do. 

\--

Tony leaned backwards in his chair, his eyes blurry from starring at the monitors too long. Where was Bruce when he needed him? Tony was a genius inventor but, the stopped short of being an expert in DNA matching. Not only was he seeing if Liam was Loki but, if he was a mutant as well. 

And neither one of those tasks was a walk in the park. 

“Progress report, Jarvis,” Tony couldn’t stand look at the loading bars again. 

_“We are at 70 percent with an estimated time of one hour, sir.”_

The tiny box in the corner of the screen showed the time. It was already the next day, close to morning. Pepper had to be asleep by now, having given up on her nobleman’s arrival. Tony had spent days working with no sleep on projects all the time but, this was more exhausting. 

“Wake me up when it is ready, Jar,” Tony shifted into his seat, his head resting against is backing. “Daddy needs his shut eye.”

_“Yes, sir.”_

Despite how much his body needed sleep, it wouldn’t come to him. His mind was racing a hundred miles per second, filling with ideas about Loki. Tony wanted to ask Dummy to knock him unconscious. He didn’t want any thoughts about the dead god. The last time they saw each other didn’t end so well. 

\--  
Thor might have taken plenty of armies in his vast lifespan but, the god was smart enough to not break allies when S.H.I.E.L.D. insisted on running some tests of his brother dear. It was the Captain who convinced the beefy god to let them go through it. Apparently, blondes stuck together. 

“I do not understand the purpose of this, Captain of Country,” Got to hand it to him, Thor’s naiveté of titles was adorable. “What reason would your realm need my brother’s essence?”

Steve glared at Tony and Clint’s duo snorts. Natasha, cool as a cucumber was the one who stepped up to the plate. “On Earth, criminals have records for which we can track them. If another crime happens, we can determine if they did it or not.”

Thor stood rigid, as if he was ready for another fight. “My brother will not escape Asgard’s cells to return here again.”

“Easy there, big fella,” Steve placed a hand on the god’s shoulder. “We are just taking precautions,” Tony was starting to see how Steve managed to charm America back in the day. He knew how to speak calmly without speaking down to people. “If there is another disaster and people suspect your brother, we can use his DNA to prove his innocence.”

Thor relaxed instantly, a small smile of gratitude on his face. If Steve wasn’t a super solider, then Thor’s pat on the shoulder would have pushed Steve down. “Thank you, dear friend,” he looked up towards the others. “As much as your realm’s shields have assisted us in battle…I do not find them all that trusting.”

Tony glanced over at Natasha and Clint, expecting them to jump up and defend the honor of S.H.I.E.L.D. They just sat there. 

“When your healers,” Thor continued on. “I ask for one of you to watch over them. I do not want my brother hurt any further. Revenge in their part might do more harm than good.”

“Hey, now,” Tony pushed off from the wall. “You don’t really expect us to just forgive and-”

Steve held up a hand to Tony’s chest, his blue eyes still on Thor. “Alright. Tony,” he looked over at the inventor. “Thank you for volunteering.”

Tony grumbled, biting his tongue before he lashed out at the Captain. “Why me?” he asked, putting more emphasis in his whining.

“I do not believe no one here wants to see Loki any more then needed,” Steve reminded him how each of their interactions with the god turned up sour. “Plus, you did claim Loki was yours.”

Tony’s eyes darted towards Thor, seeing the god’s eyes widen at Tony’s claim ship over his brother. Thor seriously looked like he was going to kill Tony. “You can forget getting me to fix your shield,” he mumbled towards the Captain who didn’t look too offended. “Fine…I will go. Only because…as always, I save the day.” 

Was it just S.H.I.E.L.D. agents or were all government agents such sticks in the mud? The one who was escorting him didn’t bother to make a peep in the elevator down towards the holding cells. Just a simple nod and nothing. Tony rolled his eyes, if the solider didn’t want to talk, then so be it. 

They really went down deep underground, given the five minute journey towards what had to be the center of the earth. As they emerged from the elevator, Tony’s tailored suit was already sticking to his skin. The passage way, carved from dark stone, had vents pumping out heat. 

“Jesus, it’s like a sauna in here,” Tony pulled at his shirt collar to loosen it. “What gives, red shirt?”

If the agent got the reference, he didn’t say. His eyes were focus ahead, towards the heavily guarded metal doors. “According to Mr. Odinson, his brother is of a species of ice creatures. We want to take every precaution available.” 

Tony still felt the cold shiver against the heat. Tony pulled a face when the solider escorted him through the many checkpoints. How could anyone get past all this stuff? At last, when Tony’s jacket was now drench in sweat, they made it to the finish line. In the stone curve of the tunnel, a glass wall blocked their way. Several air holes were poked along the fiberglass, with only a slot in the middle for a door and feeding tray. 

“Sweet Jesus…” Tony whispered when he looked inside. 

The god he encounter in his Tower was not the same person in the cell. He sat there on the bench in the middle of the room, his legs tilted at the side from exhaustion, black hair hanging over and curtaining his face. Red lights rained down and from the sides, framing in red as the air was a buzzed with energy. Heat lamps. 

The solider opened up the door and went inside, taking a place in the corner of the room. Tony guess that his cue to enter. Stepping into the cell was like stepping from a humid, spring day to standing near the edge of a volcano. Tony took off his suit jacket, it was already ruined anyway, and threw it towards the solider. 

Tony drew out a metal case from his back pocket. “Hey there, Bambi,” the inventor opened up the case. It was a needle, a few vials, a beaker, a swab, and a few other DNA extraction. “Want to play doctor?” He laughed as he snapped a blue glove on. 

The god didn’t flinched when Tony crouched down next to him on the bench. S.H.I.E.L.D. had stripped him of his armor and glamor, leaving crazed villain in a pair of scrubs. He looked so much smaller without the golden accessories and the leather fetish. “It’s just going to be a small prick,” Tony chuckled, his hand going for the god’s arm. “Hey, enough about me.”

He stopped when the sleeve was rolled up to his bicep. All along the arm was cuts, old and new. Some looked as fresh as a few days, given the puckering of the flesh trying to scab over. These weren’t normal, accidently cuts; they looked like someone took time to carve into the god’s flesh. There even some that looked purposeful, to fashion designs into his arm.

“Mr. Stark,” the soldier’s voice called him back. “Make it quick.”

“Yeah….yeah…”

Tony coughed and dropped the arm for the rubber tube. He wrapped it around Loki’s arm, mindful of the cuts, until he got a vein to appear. After wetting the area with alcohol, Tony grabbed the needle and focused on the pumping vein. He slid the sharp into the vein and began the slow process of extraction his blood. 

Loki hadn’t moved from his original position, making Tony worried he was feeling up a corpse. The only thing stopping Tony from ordering flowers was the gentle thump of the god’s heart in his fingers. Tony filled up two vials of blood, it looked normal as any blood, red and thick. The only difference Tony could see that it shimmered gold in the light. 

“Alright,” Tony placed the vials into the case. “Do you want Hello Kitty or Sponge-Bob?”

Loki’s face was staring right at him when he turned around. The pale face was gaunt, looking as skeletal as a corpse. Loki’s flesh was cracked and drawn over his bones like a dried up rubber band. Heavy shadows sagged under his eyes, which were glaze over, only giving a hint of green underneath. Tony could have sworn his eyes were blue last time he checked. Loki’s eyes were unfocused, as if he was staring at everything and nothing. 

“Hey there, hot stuff. What’s cooking?” Tony asked, really unsure why Loki suddenly moved. 

The god gave a growl, primal and dangerous, before shifting his body forward. Together they fell onto the ground, knocking away the rest of the supplies. Loki’s body pinned Tony beneath him, not giving up as Tony thrashed. His arms were locked behind him but, it didn’t stop him from being a threat. 

Parched and cracked lips scratched against his ear. “Take note of your allies, Stark,” he hissed into Tony’s ear, his voice as scratchy as sandpaper. “They might be a bigger threat than you think.” 

Loki was yanked backwards by the guard, who finally woke up. Tony was panting as the red shirt struggled with confiding the god. The guard screamed for back-up, making the tunnel fill with heavy marching footsteps as the god threw the guard off him. Tony scrambled up, narrowly missing being trampled on as the other soldiers burst through. 

It was like watching a train wreck as the guards tackled Loki, only to be thrown away or head butted by the deity. The god was wild as a dragon, snapping with his teeth and gaining some grip on some guard’s flesh. Loki was pushed against the wall, his body arching against the heat lamp in it, a scream of pain erupting through his lithe body. 

Tony wasn’t aware he was he being dragged off by another guard until Loki’s form became distant. He watched as the first guard pulled out a cattle proud, the electricity dancing between the metal rods before snapping into Loki’s exposed neck. Loki fell to his knees, his will to fight depleted by the shock. 

Loki looked at Tony one more time with a solid emotion. 

Remorse.  
\--

Tony sighed, scrubbing his face to wash away the memories. He sipped on the tumbler of whiskey, the taste of it was bitter as ash in his mouth. “Jar,” his voice cracked from lack of use. “Update.” 

_“Both tests are completed, sir.”_

“Open up the screen.” Tony down the rest of the whisky in one gulp. A holographic screen appeared up from the counter. A large box hiding the results. Tony clicked on the button and looked at what he saw. 

“No…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the most fun I have ever had writing a chapter for this story. I feel bad for Pepper...not getting paid homage :( 
> 
> DON'T FORGET TO COMMENT AND LEAVE KUDOS <3 <3 <3


	8. 95 Percent for Snow

If it wasn’t for the gauze wrapped around his mid-section, Liam would have thought that all of this was a dream. The shower could detect the perfect temperature for him, the floors of the bathroom were heated for comfort, and even the towels were so incredibly fluffy that Liam wanted to keep his head buried into the fibers. 

Clearing the steam fogged mirror, he that his hair was darker from the water, plastered against his scalp, as strands were beginning to curl. Liam leaned forward, bent over the sink, he pulled on a strand. As if on cue, the hair twisted and curled around his finger. The water began to pull away, leaving behind a golden snake.

With a sigh, Liam pushed the curl back into the mess of his hair. He no longer had any control over his hair. Liam secured the towel around his waist, stepping into his room before he halted when he saw the chair beside his bed. Before going to sleep, he kept his folded clothes there. Now, it was empty. Not even his underwear was there. 

“Um...” 

_“Mr. Talbot,”_ as if it was waiting for him, a disembodied voice spoke through invisible speakers. “Your cloths are currently in the wash.”

Liam covered his chest, just because he couldn’t see the owner of the voice, didn’t mean he had any privacy. Who knows if Mr. Stark was the type to install cameras in his rooms? “What am I going to wear?” 

_“There are some clothes in the dresser to your left.”_ Liam could almost see a hand gesturing him towards it. _“I believe Mr. Stark’s old clothes will fit you.”_

“Thanks,” Liam pulled the dresser open to see neatly folded clothes. “Mr. Jarvis?” 

_“There is a package of unused underwear on the bottom drawer.”_ The AI responded to his unspoken question. 

Liam’s cheeks turned pink but, he was grateful none the less. 

What the AI failed to mentioned was that, although Liam and Tony were close in height-with Liam perhaps a few inches taller-, was that Tony was longer in his upper body than his legs. The borrowed faded jeans rose up past his ankle as the shirt with the Led Zepplin logo could nearly fit two of him. 

Letting his hair air dry, Liam walked out of his room. His heart skipped a beat as such amazing smells wafted towards him from the kitchen. It smelled of fried meat, eggs, and Liam could taste the orange juice on his tongue. 

In a trance, Liam followed the smell, it became sharper as he got closer. Against the edge of the living room was a kitchen that was full stocked with the latest and most impressive equipment. He made a pleasing noise in his throat as he stepped inside to find the cook was nowhere in sight. 

The stove top was covered in used frying pans, each one holding a new delicacy. Sausage mixed with the bacon, both regular and Canadian, the grease mixing into a rich aroma. Fluffy yellow eggs looked soft as pillows. Fried tomatoes and peppers added a rich display of color. 

Liam grabbed the nearest utensil, a ladle, and scooped up some of the scrambled eggs. Like a thieving squirrel, he nibbled on the food. Liam moaned around the ladle, his eyes fluttering close. It was like tasting a piece of heaven.

The floor creaked with heavy footsteps. 

“Stark had not told me of a guest in his home,” the voice was like a father catching his child with the hand in the cookie jar, passive but wanting them to admit to the guilt. “Taking our fast without permission.”

“Oh,” Liam mumbled put the ladle down, wiping his mouth clear of the bits of egg. “I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

Blue eyes were wide as heavily muscled arms fell to the side. The god of thunder was looking at him with utter shock. 

“B-brother…?” 

\--

He felt like a caged animal, passing back and forth in his lab. Every so often, his eyes would flick over to the screen that floated in the air. It was mocking him. It had to be. 

“Run the tests again,” Tony ordered, his throat dry from a full night of drinking. 

_“We have run the tests five times since the initial result. You have even take his clothes for fresh genetic examples,”_ JARVIS almost sounded chastising. _“Sir…you must accept that Mr. Talbot is Loki.”_

Tony let out a growl. “He is not Loki!” he slammed his hands against the counter. “Look at the screen, Jarvis, look at the screen.”

There was a pause and Tony could hear the unvoiced remark about Jarvis’s lack of sight. _“William “Liam” Talbot is a 80% match for Loki Odinson.”_

Tony closed his eyes, refusing to accept it. It had to be a fluke; there was no way Liam could be the cold, vicious Loki. Yet, as he thought about it, the more the results started to make sense, or felt real. They shared the same body structure, the voices were similar, and they even seem to have the trait of always bringing in trouble. 

Eighty percent, there was an eighty percent chance that Tony just took in the mad, insane, dead brother of Thor. “Twenty percent,” he muttered. “There is a twenty percent chance that this is a fluke. A mistake.”

_“Sir..?”_

“I never take anything that isn’t one hundred percentage accurate!” Tony had no idea what he was fighting for this. He should be calling up Fury, letting S.H.I.E.L.D. know about this. Tony let out a shuttering breath as he remembered how the god looked like last time. No one deserved that. 

_“Sir!”_ JARVIS’s voice couldn’t reach high octaves but, at that moment, JARVIS sounded alarmed. _“There seems to be an issue in the penthouse kitchen.”_

“Penthouse kitchen…” Tony’s brow furrowed. 

JARVIS sounded eerily calm, as if he was preparing Tony for bad news. _“Mr. Odinson has encountered your guest.”_

\--

Liam pressed his back against the stove as the thunder god moved forward. His whole being was screaming at him to get away from Thor. 

“Brother…” Thor repeated that word again, his blues full of disbelief. “By the gods…how is this possible?” 

Thor reached forward to grab his neck, Liam retch backwards away from the touch. “Don’t touch me!” he screamed out in fear. 

The giant hero recoiled as if struck. Liam’s stomach clenched in guilt at the look of heartbreak on Thor’s face. Liam didn’t know why of all things that happened in the past 48 hours, being touched by the golden hero scared him like this. 

It looked like it took every will of Thor’s not to shed tears. “Loki…”

“Thor!”

Tony’s voice was such a balm for Liam that he couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Mr. Stark!” Thor looked him.

The inventor was panting, as if he ran here in a quick fashion. Liam’s smile faded when he noticed that Tony wasn’t looking at him but, rather Thor. “Liam…come over here.” 

Liam inched himself around Thor, trying his damnedest not to even brush against Thor. “Thank-“

“Go to your room.” He ordered with a tight voice. 

“But, Mr. Stark…” Liam began to protest but by the glare from the man, he shut up. “Alright.” 

Liam’s chest felt heavy as he walked back to his room, feel dejected at Stark’s rejection. Tony refused to look back as Liam tried another attempt to call back. The only time Tony moved was when Thor stepped forward, only for Tony to shake his head in disapproval. Liam bit back a sigh as he closed the door to his room.

\--

“Stark.” Thor looked from the hallway Liam went down to Tony. Blue eyes turning from heartbreak to anger. “Explain the reason why my brother is in your tower.” 

Tony held up his hands to stop Thor before he threw down the hammer. “Hey there, big guy, Liam is not your brother.” 

“He wears his face!” Thor roared. 

“Watch the spittle,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. Thor looked ready to strangle Tony for answers. “Look, I can explain this.”

“Speak your words then,” The god ordered.

Tony’s mouth gaped, words were getting caught in his throat. Out of everything, Tony couldn’t see a way to avoid Thor charging into Liam’s room for a family reunion, or worst. “Is Bruce with you?”

The confusion was enough for Thor to back off some. “The healer wished to wash up after our journey from your Africa.”

“Great!” Tony snapped his fingers. “I will go get Bruice and…” he leaned to look over Thor towards the stove. “And you bring down breakfast to the lab.” 

“Stark…I wish to know…”

“Food first. Questions later.”

\--

Tony shoveled the scrambled eggs onto the piece of bacon. One thing he loved about having Thor living in the Tower was that the god always cooked a victory meal after each mission. Even before reading the report, Tony knew it was a successful mission given the surplus of food. 

“What do you got so far?” Tony spoke around the mouthful of bacon. 

Bruce rolled his eyes from his side of the world, where the majority of the monitors were. “You have done a majority of the work, Tony,” he replied, his eyes focused on the screens. “I don’t know what else I can do.”

He swallowed down some orange juice before speaking. “Can never be too careful,” it was unspoken that Bruce was better at biology than Tony could ever be. “Hey, Thor…aren’t you hungry?”

Thor refused to look away from the ceiling, as if he suddenly gain x-ray vision to Liam’s room. “This Liam…Though he may not be Loki,” Thor spoke softly, as if finding that Liam was else was seeing Loki die all over again. “Where did he come from?”

“Well, Point Break, when a man and a woman love each other, they close their eyes and…”

“Tony!” Bruce scowled. 

Tony shoved in the rest of the eggs before pulling up another screen for Thor to see. Pictures of Liam started to appear in various situations. There were several taken in the recent years of Liam in a polo shirt and tan slacks, a school uniform, hanging about the shoulders of boys in similar clothing. As he went through the photos, it switched from school photos to a mug shot that was taken a few months ago. From the bright blue eyes, shining from youth was dulled compared to the mug shot, as if Liam suddenly aged ten years. 

Maybe Liam wasn’t so innocent after all. 

“There are records that our Mister Talbot having a life prior to the big, green bang,” Tony pulled up a photo of a young little golden hair child sliding down a slide. “So, I am guessing….Liam was conceived through sex.” 

“Who happens to have control over ice?” Bruce pointed out. 

“And my brother is one of the Frost Giant kind,” Thor gruffly said. It was as if speaking of his brother’s true nature was painful. “Perhaps, by some magic, Loki survived the attack.” 

Tony frowned at Thor’s optimism He wasn’t sure if they should be celebrating Loki’s return. “Hey…we never thought about one option…”He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Maybe Liam is Loki’s kid!” 

Bruce looked over, his face scrunched up as if the idea could be impossible. Thor’s face was impassive, as if Tony hadn’t said anything. Still, an audience was an audience. “Think about it…” he moved around the table. “He looks like Loki, he is hella young than Loki…” He glanced at Thor. “I mean…we are all younger than you, Holy Vikings. And he has powers like Loki. Maybe…Liam is his kid. It makes more sense.” 

Before his theory could be talked about, Thor spoke up. “Nay.” his eyes were heavy since Thor encountered Liam but, now they grew heavier as if remembering things about Loki was too much. “My brother cannot have children, any longer.” 

“Wait,” Tony frowned. “What do you mean ‘any longer’?” 

The thunder god sighed, sitting up in his seat to appear stronger. “There was a time where many of your Midgardian tales were true. And yet, different. There was an event that…urge the ending of Loki’s bloodline.”

“C’mon, Thor baby,” Tony poked the god. “Which story is it? Because…I do not remember any myths about Loki suddenly becoming a eunuch. What did he do wrong that time?” 

Thor blinked. “Loki did not-”

“The testing is complete.” Bruce’s soft voice managed to be louder than Thor’s. 

“And?” There was plenty of time to talk about the past after they figured out the present. “What’s the verdict? Am I pregnant with Steve’s love child?” 

“I do not believe Midgardain men can have children like-”

“Liam is Loki.” 

The screen above Bruce’s head read out the results. It was mocking him. Flashing a giant 95% match to the dead, insane, god of mischief. He heard Thor curse in his language, whether it was in angry or not, Tony didn’t know. 

There was no way that Bruce could be wrong. He was smart. He was brilliant when it came to match chemicals and biology. Tony’s left hand flexed, remembering the cold day that Liam attacked him. No, that wasn’t Liam, that was…is Loki. Loki, who is currently alive and in his tower. 

With Pepper. 

Tony felt ice encase his heart.

“What of the other numbers?” Thor was beside himself with mixed emotions. They all were. “Why is it not complete?” 

“Well,” Bruce tilted his screen towards the god, as if showing the results would explain. “His DNA is corrupted by something. Almost as if someone added something extra to his DNA. Which is, a strange mix bag that I can’t determine right now. It does not appear to be human in origin. I will have to examine this more closely.” 

“I shall see to Mister Talbot,” Thor stood up from his chair. “And ask him questions and determine what we should do. As he is afraid of me, Anthony, would you…”

Thor looked around. “Where is Stark?”

\--

Tony wasn’t going to take any more chances with Liam, this time around. His entire forearm was covered in his power gauntlets, already charged and ready to fire. Tony took his private elevator that went from his main lab to the penthouse. 

“Where is Pepper right now?” Tony said through clenched teeth. 

There was a long pause. 

“Jarvis? Answer me.”

JARVIS finally answered. _“Miss Potts is currently in the living room with Mr. Talbot.”_

“Make this elevator go faster.” He couldn’t phantom the idea of Pepper getting hurt because of his stupidity. Again. 

_“Sir-”_

“NOW!” Tony roared. 

The elevator gears roared before gaining speed. Tony let out a yelp and clung to the railings as the tiny metal box zoomed straight up. The force of the brakes nearly sent him crashing against the elevator doors. 

Tony ran out as soon as they opened, squeezing through like tick through a straw. He made a beeline for the living room, his body strung tight. “Pepper!” 

The inventor skidded to a halt as the scene before him stopped his heart. There was Pepper, sitting across from Liam, a pile of dishes between them, scraps of food still clinging to them. It was almost a humbling sight. At Tony’s shout, Pepper looked up, her hair fresh from a shower, her face turning from a happy greeting to a worried look. 

“Tony?” Pepper eyed the gauntlets before her tune turn quizzical. “What’s going on?” 

Tony’s focus was right on Liam…Loki…whoever he was. He was looking up, eyes wide at Tony’s entrance. He too looked at the gauntlets and he was smart enough to look fearful. Tony fingers curled into fists at his side, his eyes flickering over to the window. The window that Tony was thrown out of. 

“Tony!” Pepper tried again. “What is going on?”

“Pepper,” Tony couldn’t look away from the once dead god. “Go down to the fifth floor…you will be safe.” 

“Safe?” Pepper looked around, looking for the threat. Not knowing it was sitting across from her. “From what?”

“Just…trust me, alright?” Tony looked at her, silently willing her to get up and leave. He couldn’t stand seeing her gone. 

Pepper got the hint and stood up. She trusted Tony enough not to ask questions until later. She moved towards the elevators. Liam slide off the couch and move to follow her. Tony grabbed his thin arm in his. 

“Do not move.” he growled. 

Pepper was already in the elevator when she noticed Tony towering over Liam. “Tony-!”

“JARVIS! Sealed the elevators and take Pepper down!” Tony barked. 

She gave out a scream before the doors slammed closed. Liam was looking at the doors, his blue eyes wide, as if he could bring back Pepper by just staring at him. Blue eyes. Tony bit back a growl of anger at himself. How stupid could he be? Hair…eyes…could always be alter to look like someone else. 

Liam began to tug his arm, trying to break free. “Mr. Stark…” he looked at him. “I…I don’t know what I did wrong but-”

“Oh, you did plenty wrong, Mr. Talbot,” he gripped his other arm. “Or, should I say _Loki_.”

Liam stilled. He half expected him to drop his mask, his thin lips curl into a vicious smirk, as his plan was finally revealed. But, no. Liam was looking at him as if Tony grew two extra heads. “Loki?” he echoed, stunned in confusion. “My name is William Talbot…You know that.”

Tony’s eye twitch. He hated when people played games with him. “Do not lie to me, Loki.” He suddenly had him pinned against the couch. “I only know you by Liam because _you_ told me. Now…now I know the truth. Bruce knows the truth. Thor knows the truth.”

“I don’t know what you are taking about!” Liam shouted in anguish. “Please believe me!”

“Oh?” Tony’s left hand traveled up his arm. “Like I should trust you? After you stole from me? Hurt me?” Liam’s mouth went slack, there was no way he could recover from that. “You lied to me from the very beginning.”

“I swear…” Liam screamed in pain when Tony’s fingers yanked back his head, his hand gripping onto his blond hair. Tears were beginning to form. 

“Everything about you is a lie!” Tony hissed. “Your hair. Your name. Your identity.” 

“It’s not! It’s not!” Liam broke down crying, half in fear and half in pain. “I swear to you, Mr. Stark. I am not Loki. I’m….I’m not Loki.” 

Tony let out a cruel chuckle. He twisted his neck back so he could stared down at those baby blues, already spilling in tears. “Prove it.” He dared. 

Liam whimpered, clenching his eyes shut. “I…I don’t know how…” 

“That’s what I thought.” Tony tossed Liam to the side like trash. 

Liam fell onto the floor in a heap. He didn’t move from his spot, it was the only quiet sobs that Tony knew he wasn’t unconscious. Some part of him hated that he was doing this. Hurting someone like this. He was no better than Loki himself. But…there was a tiny part of him that needed this sort of power that was coming to him. 

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.” Liam was groveling, his lithe body shaking from tears. “I’m sorry.” 

The way his voice broke. The way Liam was speaking, as if the words was a prayer he said to himself nightly. How his arms covered his head, protecting it from assault. How it knew the perfect position to, almost as if it came naturally. That broke Tony. 

His hands fell to his side, feeling as if someone cut the strings holding him up. “Liam…” he crouched down. 

Liam pulled back from his knees as soon as Tony’s fingers brushed against his arm. Like a wounded animal, he crawled on his hands and knees towards the corner. Tony’s heart sank as he saw how Liam instantly curled up into a ball, knees pressed against his chest. 

This wasn’t the mad god that Tony knew. 

Thor said that Loki died in his arms. That he felt his brother’s life-force disappear. Even if Loki had managed to fake his death, Thor left him on a planet that had deadly storms. Storms that could pick a man up and whip him into the mountainside. There was no way Loki could have survived that. 

Everything didn’t make sense. Liam looked like Loki, had the same freakin’ DNA make up as him. Had strange powers like Loki should have done. Then there was this. Liam, cowering in the corner, not attacking back, crying like a kid. 

And there was a 5% chance that Liam wasn’t Loki. 

_‘I never take anything that isn’t one hundred percentage accurate!’_

Tony hated it when his own words come back to haunt him. 

“Liam…” His tongue felt heavy in his own mouth. He moved towards the boy. “Look, I-”

Tony smacked right into a wall of ice. He stumbled back and saw a shimmer of green mixed with the blue sheer ice. His breath was visible as the room suddenly dropped in degrees. Curious, Tony tapped against the plane of ice. He yelped when a spark of energy zapped his fingers. 

As if that didn’t throw enough evidence in that ‘Liam is Loki’ pile. 

Tony rubbed his stung finger. “Alright,” he sat down across from Liam, the sudden ice dome bubble separating them. “I believe you. You are not Loki. You are Liam Talbot, the annoying kid who…saved my life and many others.” 

Liam sniffled after a few minutes, and looked up, his eyes with less tears than before. “You are just saying that so I can drop my shield and you can hurt me. Examine me.” 

Tony sighed, a few minutes ago, that was his main goal. “Look,” he took off his gauntlets slowly so Liam could see. Once his arms were bare, he held them up. “I can’t help it. You are definitely a good candidate for being Loki, alright?” 

“How can I be?” He wiped the remaining tears away. 

“There’s….a lot of factors in this,” Tony gestured with his hand. “You have his looks, minus the hair and eyes. And plus…you have a Jack Frost thing going on. As much as it packs a punch…it is worrisome.” 

“I see….” Liam trailed off in thought. As if he had had the same idea before. 

“How do you have powers anyway?” Tony leaned forward. “Because I know you aren’t a mutant…you are way too cute to be one.” 

Liam wasn’t in the mood to accept that compliment. “I…I don’t know. I have always had them. My mother taught me to control them so no one would see.”

“Well, that was a lesson that didn’t stay firmed.” Tony scoffed. 

Liam let out a soft laugh. “Yeah…no thanks to you.” 

Tony gasped. “Me? How rude of you to accuse me of such a scandalous act!” Liam laughed again, louder now and with actual feeling. It felt nice to see him smile again. 

Clearing his throat, Liam’s eyes drifted over to the wall, as it had all his thoughts. “Loki…New York was attacked around four years ago, right?”

Tony looked over the window, it felt only yesterday that he was risking his life for the world. He could still feel the coldness of space gripping his armor like a viper. “Yeah…” he kept his eyes focused on Liam. “It was.” 

Liam sat up straight up in his spot, his head raised with conviction. “I wasn’t in America four years ago. I moved here one year ago.” Tony waited for him to continue on with his testimony. “I was still in school at the time.” 

“At what age?” 

“Eighteen.” Liam shifted in his spot, as if admitting to his own age made him look smaller. “And I was near London when Thor returned here. I remember watching the news broadcast about the event with my friends.” 

“Names.” Tony demanded.

“Excuse me?”

“If you want me to full believe you, I need names of your friends. To confirm what you say is true.” 

“Oh…” Liam chewed his lip. “Trent Roche and Barney Smith.” 

Tony would need to check those names for authenticity later. “I looked you up,” Liam jolted in his spot. “Well, Jarvis did most of the work. There was something that came up. A police record, apparently you got arrested two years ago. Why?”

Liam’s cheeks turned red from humiliation at his crime. It was one of the piece of evidence that Tony knew was legit. “I…” He dropped his knees from his chest. “I stole a car.”

Tony burst out laughing. “What kind of car?”

“A…A Lamborghini Gallardo.” 

He whistled low, impressed. “Damn, Liam, you got good tastes.” Liam smiled bashfully. “I bet the driver was a middle aged man with a need to compensate. Not that I would know.”

_“Sir,”_ Jarvis chimed in. _“I believe that you have a Lamborghini Gallardo in your garage that-”_

“Jarvis, mute.” Tony grumbled. 

Liam was laughing. Snickering behind his hand. The tears were drying up. Tony smiled. 

“What’s going to happen now?” Liam asked the question of the day. 

Sitting back on his hunches, Tony sighed. There was no way that he could send anyone to S.H.I.E.L.D. and suffer. Even if Liam was his own person or if he was Loki, no one deserve that kind of heedless torture. 

“There are a few options,” he had to be honest with Liam. “One; I take you to S.H.I.E.L.D. and let them deal with you. Two; Thor takes you to Asgard and I don’t know…fit you for a nice leather fetish-y outfit. Or three; you stay here, let Bruce and I run tests on you and see what the other missing 5% is.” 

“Tests?” Liam was nervous. “What kind of tests?”

He shrugged. “Don’t know. You are a big mystery, Liam. We might poke and prod you a few times, see where your powers come from and find out why you have a lot of Loki’s DNA. But,” Tony offered him a small, reassuring smile. “We will not harm you. Unless you give us reason to.”

“Can I go home?” the boy asked, innocently. 

“’fraid not, kid,” Tony sat back up. “We need to monitor you and keep you under careful eye. For your protection and ours. So, which one will it be?” 

“I like option three.” Liam said firmly 

“Good choice,” Tony bounced up on his feet. “How about we lower your shield…and get you some clothes?”

Liam looked hesitated to drop his only means of protection. “What do you mean?” He looked down at his current outfit. 

It took Tony finally to notice what he was wearing. Liam was wearing one of his favorite Led Zepplin shirts, well-worn and the logo was faded by so many washes. It draped over his body like a cloak, hiding his body underneath. It looked more like a night shirt than a regular one. 

What would Liam look like just wearing the shirt and his hair all scrunched up from sleep? The shirt would barely covered the top of his behind, it would skirt against his flesh. Liam’s eyes would be lowered in half sleep, but a smile on his face as Tony brushed down his hair. He could hear the soft laugh as Liam stepped closer, the shirt riding higher on his thigh and…

Tony had to shake his head to clear away those thoughts. “You need better clothes than that,” He darted his eyes away. “It will be my treat…a way to apologize for scaring you.”

“Are you sure?” Liam sure sounded happy at the protested. His blue eyes twinkled in joy. Tony did that. 

“Y-Yeah….” Tony had to get out of here. “Come on…let’s roll, Willy.” 

Liam half glared at him, as he stood up there was a crack of air before the shield went down. “Waiting for you, grandpa.” He smirked as he walked past Tony and towards the elevators. 

Tony’s eyes narrowed down to how his shirt seemed to swish as Liam walked. Watching it brush against his thighs only added fuel to Tony’s wild imagination. 

Tony needed a cold shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to thank my babbu, Batwynn for helping beta read this. And giving me fuel....too much fuel....


	9. Flurries of Anger

As if all his energy was drain from him, Tony felt like a hollow shell, running on empty fumes. All that anger he felt was the only thing keeping him awake, alive even, at this point. How long had he been up? Twenty-four, thirty-six, more? Ever since Pepper insisted that Tony pretty much rewrite his medical health, he hadn’t spent more than two days up, at average. There was a time where he could spend nearly five days at a time and not feel exhausted. Maybe without the arc reactor surging power through him, Tony’s batteries were easily drained. 

Rubbing the tender spot on his chest, Tony moved into the elevator. “JARVIS,” his head rolled back on the wall. “Do we still have any those tracking bracelets?” 

_“Yes, sir. They are currently in the grey field locker in the lab.”_

“Take me there,” he didn’t have the energy to push the button. 

The ride down was definitely less chaotic than when it was going up. The ride seemed quick, as soon as he reopened his eyes, the elevator had stopped. Tony was only a foot out when he felt eyes burning holes into him. Bruce and Thor were staring right at him. 

_Oh_ He forgot that they were there. They had since moved from their spots since he left. “Hey…” both Jolly-Green and Point Break had the same, questioning with a edge of suspiscioin look. “Sorry, had to run to the bathroom. Bad pizza.” 

Not even his chuckle could make those frowns disappear. Hey, he was the master of inventions, not of lies. “Look, guys-” 

“Where did you go?” Bruce demanded impatiently. He stood closer to the counter next to the computer station. “After the results…you just took off. Where did you go?” 

“You went to my brother, did you not? Why?” Thor was the nearest to him, and given what happened upstairs, Tony took a step to the side. Better not be in arms reach of the god should he know what happened. 

Tony snapped to attention, not liking the tone from either one of them. “Hey, look, guys…” he held up his hands. “Liam isn’t Loki, he-”

“Do you dare to say, that those instruments of your science,” he gestured his large hand over yonder. “Which you prize so dearly…tell us false things?”

Thor’s frown deepen when Tony winced. “Thor, baby…maybe the tests were wrong,” Bruce scoffed, offended. “They aren’t one hundred percent accurate.” 

“Science isn’t about proving something as finite, Tony,” he could hear the small growl in Bruce’s voice. “These results are as close as we are going to get.”

“My brother is here, Man of Iron. Your anger sparks my worry for everyone’s safety.” the god looked ready to attack anyone who might even said Loki smelled bad. “Tell me, truthfully, did you harm my brother?”

The inventor took sharp step back before, Thor could reach him. “Hey, hey…” he didn’t like this feeling of being caged. “I have no personal vendetta against Loki,” the other two heroes didn’t believe him. “Well…not like Clint, or hell…Even Bruce.” 

“Where is he then, Man of Iron?”

“Tony!” 

It wasn’t the distraction that Tony ordered. He whirled around to see a very red, angry, hair out of order, Pepper. “Pepper-”

Tony’s head spun, he could almost see cartoon birds spinning around. “Ow…” he whined softly, rubbing his heated cheek. “Ow.” 

Pepper answer back with another slap to the other cheek. Her eyes were hot with anger and if looks could kill, Tony would have a summer house in Valhalla already. Pepper paused, almost like ready to strike again. That worried vanished when she stood up, straight as an arrow, satisfied with the physical violence. “How could you do something like that?” she demanded

“Honey, I can explain-”

“Do not honey me,” she growled. Tony hadn’t see her so upset since Pepper emerged from those flames. “If you had hurt a single hair on Liam, I swear I will throw you of a window.”

Tony couldn’t get another word out before Thor was on top of him. “You laid a hand on my brother?”

“Tony, you are only making matters potentially worst.” 

“What gives you’re the right to threaten a boy like Liam after what you have been through?”

“Enough!” Tony shouted, his voice booming through the lab. He had to take a few steps away from everyone, they were crowding him in. The inventor knew they were waiting for him to continue on but, it would be at his own leisure. He deserved that. “Liam is fine.” 

“Then why did you throw me into the elevator?” His fiancé folded her arms.

“I shut the door on you,” he corrected her. “Pepper, there is a strong chance that Liam could be Loki,” the god moved to speak. “Easy there, Point Break. Those readings are not one hundred percent positive. Plus…there is something about him.”

Pepper exchange a look between Bruce and Thor, who stood there ready for more. “What do you mean?” She questioned slowly. Pepper was obviously still on the bandwagon for Liam being just Liam. Tony didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. 

The inventor scrubbed at his face. “He does not come across as a crazy bag of cats. Liam might be a slight pain in the ass but, if he was Loki, then he would have attacked me back…when I hurt him. All he did was protect himself.” 

Pepper was still looking at him as if she never had seen him before. Like she was scared of him. “What did you do to him, Anthony?” she whispered 

“I scared him,” Tony admitted. “Really badly too and…” He left his voice trail off. Tony suddenly felt sick. 

“You stopped, right?” Bruce was suddenly next to him. There was accusation in his voice. 

“Of course I stopped!” Tony didn’t like how Bruce was implying he would have continued. “As soon as he threw up an ice shield I stopped.” 

His friend gave him a small frown. There was a beat as he stared right in Tony’s eyes, challenging him. “You need to watch your emotions, Tony.” 

“Oh, that’s big coming from you.” He spat out in retaliation. 

Tony stayed his ground when Bruce got a bit closer to him. There was a fresh flash of green in his eyes. Before the other guy could throw down the gauntlet, a large hand cupped his shoulder and pulled him away. Tony stumbled as Thor dragged him towards the spare parts section. 

“Stark,” he spoke in hushed tone. “The possibility of the young Liam being my brother…” His voice caught. Tony thought the golden god would have started to weep over his brother before, but now he spoke like a king. “He must not fall in the hands of anyone. If the All-Father got word of this…if S.H.I.E.L.D….” 

Although Steve, Natasha, and that new comer Sam, tried their best to clear off the Hydra within SHIELD, there was a chance that might be some hidden agents. Even without Hydra, Tony couldn’t see SHIELD giving Loki a basket of puppies if he showed up on their doorsteps. 

“Of course, buddy,” Tony patted Thor on the shoulder. Tony took this chance to move to the locker to get what he came from. He kicked the door open and grabbed the smaller grey box from the top self. “SHIELD would have to get over my dead body before laying a hand on Liam.” 

The way Thor was looking at him, with the huge grin that reached his eyes, Tony would have thought that the thunder god was eager to make Tony his queen. “I will support you in solving this, Stark…” his smile faded with a grey parlor to his face. “I need to know that my hopes are useful. To have my brother back…fills me with anxiety and joy. I pray, young Liam is Loki, if only for my brother to have another chance.”

Tony look over at Pepper and Bruce, who both were staring at them, wanting them to return. “One thing at a time…” he moved towards the other two. “Think about the present, not the future.”

He was glad that Thor was at least on his side, he could use with one less angry person glaring daggers at him. Tony wasn’t so much worried about Bruce, he could blame himself later on for his actions, which would mean another bout of guilt Tony had to pull him out from. He was more concern with the tall, red-head. 

As much as Tony was tempted to plead with Pepper to at least accompany him to bed for sleep, he knew that privilege would be forgotten by her pent up anger. They hadn’t really been on good terms as of late, and this incident was just another notch in the belt. How many more notches were needed before the leather broke apart? 

Tony held back a sigh as he stopped. “Well, I am all up for a vote. Who here wants this day to be done with?” He asked, no one but he raised his hand. “Come on, those that say yes, will get a pizza party.” 

That broke the tension, somewhat. “Tony,” Pepper sighed. “Please, don’t do something like that again. Please.” There was something odd about the way she said it. As if Pepper saw her nightmares coming true. 

“I won’t, I promise,” Tony meant every word, at least for Pepper’s sake, he would keep his word. “In the meantime, we will keep a lid on this. SHIELD might suspect Liam is dangerous but, they won’t get their meaty hands on him. Loki or not, this is no longer their jurisdiction.” 

“You think keeping him here will be a good idea?” Either Bruce had developed psychic powers or Tony was really predictable. “Tony…there are those that…have issues with Lo….with who he looks like. And they do live in the Tower.” 

The inventor frowned at the greenish tint that was coming around Bruce’s neck. “I have better facilities here than SHIELD,” he folded his arms. “And Liam is alright with us running a few tests on him.” 

“Which are?”

He held up a finger, “I don’t know. Maybe something…science-y. Look at his tissue, blood, sweat, sperm,” Pepper arched an eyebrow. “Whatever we need to do to get the answer right.” 

“And what if Liam is my brother,” Thor half questioned and half reminded Tony. “There will be those who wish him harm. Many of those who believe him to be a betrayer.”

The genius was itching to leave. As much as he loved the guy, Tony hated how Thor was when Loki was even mentioned. The golden thunderer would get all hostile and protective, swearing Loki was more than he was in the end then he was when he came to Earth. Tony swore, there were times that he thought that if Loki wasn’t his brother, Thor might have made the crazy man his lover. Hell, even if they were brothers. 

“We will cross the bridge when we get there,” Tony rubbed his straining eyes. “Liam is going to stay here, get tested, and be safe.” He was tired of repeating himself. 

Tony pulled out a silver bracelet from the gray box in his hand. It looked like a normal bracelet, inch thick, with a pewter rim along the edges. There was even a Stark logo etch on the inside. However, in the right light, Tony could see tiny veins of blue light zig-zaging through, reaching the small arc reactor in the middle. 

Carefully, Tony placed the bracelet on the table. “Bruce, do me a favor and help JARVIS make this into a tracking device. I might like the kid but, I don’t trust him.” He admitted. “Now, I am going to go and take Liam out shopping.” 

“What?” Pepper acted like Tony just admitted his love for Fury. “Shopping?”

Tony threw up his arms, silently asking Pepper to challenged hm. “The kid can’t wear all my clothes out,” He turned towards the elevator. “Plus, I am making amends.”

“Tony!” his fiancé called out to him just as the doors opened. Tony stopped and in a blink of an eye, Pepper was in front of him. Her voice was lowered but, it was no means a whisper. “When you come back…we need to talk.” 

“I thought we already had.” Tony gestured to the handprint that was now fading away. 

The red-head had a flicker of guilt before her resolved returned. “We still need to talk. No interruptions, no pushing me away, we need to talk.”

There was a cold spike blossoming in his stomach. Pepper wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Alright. I promise, when we come back, we will talk.” 

“Good,” Pepper nodded. She suddenly looked ten years older. “Just…keep it.” 

Tony gave her a small smile, hoping that would erase the doubt in her voice. “I always keep my promises, babe…”

“Sometimes I wondered.” She admitted, not looking at him. 

Tony sighed and moved to kiss her. But, at the last second, Pepper turned her head. “Just…go.”

The genius nodded and moved into the elevator. He kept his eyes on Pepper, watching her age by the second, weariness in her every pore. The only thing that stopped him from going out was the slamming of the metal doors. 

\--

It was almost cute how the way Liam was scoffing down the food court version of Thai food. He attacked the cheaply prepared Asian dish like it was his only meal in days. Tony bit his inner cheek when he saw a speck of soy sauce on the boy’s cheek. 

“What?” His companion looked at him, slurping up the thick noodle between his lips. “Why are you smiling like that?”

Tony shook his paper cup of soda, to free the last bit from the ice. He sucked on the straw. “I’m not smiling.” 

“Yes, you are,” Liam pointed at him with the soy sauce stained chopsticks. “I can see it in your eyes.” 

“Been staring into my eyes, Mr. Talbot?” The man purred, leaning forward so Liam could take a gander at his beautiful eyes. “Did you get lost in them?”

Liam answered back with a steamed baby corn and a blush to his cheeks. Tony paused and swiped off the juice that landed on his forehead. “Little prick.” 

“Oh, it is far from little.” 

Tony nearly choked on his straw. Liam had the gall to start laughing, and god help him, Tony joined in. It seemed like forever ago that Tony was staring down Liam through the ice when it had only been a few hours. Tony looked around the food court, each restaurant represented a certain country or dish specialty. 

Of all places, Liam picked a shopping mall to go shopping. Tony was so used to going to tailors and designers that he had forgotten these things existed. Going out in public meant that Tony had to don his anti-paparazzi outfit before venturing out. To everyone else, Tony and Liam were just typical mall rats. All the stares from the populace went towards Liam rather than him. Tony couldn’t deny his jealousy of the attention his curly, blond, cute companion was getting. 

Tony recovered and finished off his soda. Liam kept on eating and he didn’t have the heart, better yet, it was more of a revenge not to talk about the large glop of soy sauce on his shirt. The boy was a messy as a bug. 

“So, tell me about yourself,” Tony picked at the remaining vegetables left on his place. “Where did you grow up?” 

“London,” Liam replied curtly. “I lived on Eastwood Street all my life.” 

“What school?”

“Saint Augustus,” Liam frowned deeply, his haunches were raising up so quickly. “Why are you grilling me?” 

Liam was acting as if Tony was poking the wrong button. Tony looked over at him from his mirrored aviator glasses. “Because I want to get to know you.” 

“So, you can see if I am lying or not?”

“To get to know you better, Liam,” Tony said with one hundred percent honesty. “I want to be your friend.”

“Oh,” Liam’s haunches deflated as quickly as it had inflated. He let out a breath, his long fingers rubbing against his neck from embarrassment. “I’m sorry…just…after this morning…”

Tony shifted in his seat. He made an excuse for the movement by reaching over the plastic table too grip his wrist. Blue eyes looked up at him. “I’m sorry for how I acted, I was trying to protect the ones I love. The idea of you being Loki…I’m sorry…” he said for the hundredth time today, each with more urgency for Liam to accept it every time. “You can take your anger out on me by wasting all my money.”

Liam nodded, quickly accepting that challenge. “Alright,” Tony didn’t let go of his wrist, finding comfort in how easily his fingers wrapped around Liam’s thin wrist. “What else do you want to know?”

The inventor hummed softly to himself, his fingers tapping along the inner wrist of Liam. “What do you like to do for fun?” 

Liam bit his lower lip in thought. “I don’t care if you laugh but, I like to read. Literature, poetry, prose, short works, historical books, anything I can get my hands on. I really enjoy reading works by Byron.” 

Tony arched an eyebrow, “Byron? How cliché. Too blah for me,” 

It looked like Liam was about to murder him. Instead of doing that, Liam replied in a smooth voice. “And thou art dead, as young and fair as aught of mortal birth; and form so soft, and charms so rare, too soon return'd to Earth!” Liam nearly cried out. His voice drawing Tony in the further he spoke. “Though Earth receiv'd them in her bed, and o'er the spot the crowd may tread in carelessness or mirth, there is an eye which could not brook a moment on that grave to look.”

Tony swallowed hard. He didn’t know which was worst of the two, the way Liam spoke in a low voice or that he was still staring at Tony, silently daring him to say that wasn’t good. The genius didn’t want to face up to that challenge. 

“Good,” He coughed and took a gulp of the now water down soda. “Very good. You are well versed for a kid that had to steal my wallet.” 

That broke the spell. “I…before I left, I was leaning towards taking up an English degree in college.”

“What happened?” Tony asked. Liam looked as if someone stole his child from him. “Why did you leave?” 

Liam glanced down at his now cold tray of food. “I…I had a fight with my mom. Or rather, the big fight,” he sighed but, he didn’t look like he regret it. “She wanted me to follow along a path I was sick of being on.” 

“She wanted you to become a doctor?”

Liam flinched, “If only…” As if the truth was worse than that. “I told her I wanted no part in her plans. And she blew up. Big time.” 

“She yelled?”

“Something like that.” As much as Tony wanted to press the issue, he did get a sense that the mother issue was a big thing. He wondered what kind of woman could teach Liam how to control his powers and also…the way Liam was cowering in the corner came to mind. 

“What about your friends? Don’t you miss them?” Tony began to pull his hand away from Liam’s wrist when Liam shocked him. 

“I don’t keep in contact with Arthur or Randal.”

Tony stilled. His fingers were pressed against Liam’s inner wrist and there was no leap in his pulse. “I thought their names were Trent and Barney?” 

Liam’s face contorted, his face scrunching around like he had swallowed a lemon. The vein on his forehead pushed against the surface as he twitched his eyes. Tony opened his mouth to speak when Liam cut in. “They have their own lives, I don’t want to fit in with them.” The casual way Liam just carried on made Tony pause. “Any more questions, Mr. Stark?” 

Tony pulled his hand away. “No,” his head was buzzing with what he just saw. It was as if Liam’s brain was suddenly rewired. “Are you done with your food?” 

“Yeah…Is it time to go home?” He asked, almost sad to be leaving the food court. 

The inventor pushed against the metal chair and stood up. He looked at the small pile of shopping bags that rested on the chair between them. All of them were filled with shirts, pants, shoes, everything….everything but style. 

“After a quick stop to my tailor.” 

\--

Liam felt like a puppet without the visible strings. His outstretched arms were aching from being up for so long. He was beginning to fear that they were now stuck like that. Liam felt like was a such a fool in those three mirrors that circled him as a small little man ran around his feet, a tape measure in his mouth. 

“Is this really necessary?” Liam asked the reflection of Stark. 

Even though his thin lips weren’t moving, Liam could still the smirk in his brown eyes. The hero was lounging against the wall of the private fitting room. He was watching Liam like this whole procedure was an engaging show. 

“Is fashion really necessary?” He asked off-handedly. “Is looking fine, well groomed, handsome really necessary? Yes, my dear Liam, it is.”

Liam rolled his eyes. They had been at Tony’s tailors for two hours now but, it had felt like an eternity. He was happy with the clothes he already got, Liam didn’t understand why Tony was so insisted on dressing him up. 

“I don’t need a suit,” Liam grumbled as the tailor placed a swatch of dark blue against his skin to test the material. 

“Go with the pewter and the dark silver. It will go well with his eyes,” he told the tailor. The old tailor nodded his head and went through the catalog. “And yes, you do.”

“I thought test subjects didn’t get nice things.” Liam spat out bitterly. He hated the stiff material that gripped his form. 

Through the reflection, he saw Tony waving at the tailor to leave. Like an either ignorant servant or a man who was highly paid, the tailor nodded and took up the swatches and measurements away. Liam waited until the tailor closed the dark wooden door that lead into the small room before he flopped his arms to the side. They ached and throbbed in the tight test jacket. 

Liam jumped off the circular, red carpet, platform in front of the mirrors. The whole room was like a lavish bedroom without the bed. A lounge sofa, with the same dark red color of the color, was inlaid with gold trimming, rested against the wall. There was a small table of food, finger foods and two kinds of watch pitchers. To Liam, having food here was silly, as who would want to get food on new clothes? 

He sighed and sat down on the platform as Tony took up the lounge sofa in front of him. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands in frustration. 

“I am not going to sugar coat it, Liam,” Tony leaned forward on his knees. There were dark circles under his eyes. “You are a test subject.”

“Story of my life,” Liam scoffed. 

“What?” He blinked in confusion. 

He winced, his stomach was already hard as it was, now it was cold. He hated lying but, anything was better than the truth. It was better to live in fantasy than reality sometimes. “Nothing. God…” he buried his face in his hands. “I have no many questions but…I am sick of asking them. Too many questions…I just…want the truth to be slid as the ground. I want…I want…”

“You want what?” Stark’s voice made him lift his head. 

“I want control of my life,” his throat felt constricted, as if someone was choking him. “I want to control my own life. I am sick of being told what to do, what to wear, what to be.” 

His face was impassive as Tony stared at him. The inventor shifted in his seat and moved in one fluid motion to the platform next to him. He nodded his head, silently telling Liam it was alright to rant. Liam held back a smile of appreciation. 

“All my life, I have been told to follow certain rules. I couldn’t break from the box I was put in,” Liam stared at his hands. “My mother…kept insisting on it. She said I was destined for greatness, that I was brought into this world to be great, to help the world change. She wanted me to be something I wasn’t. And I couldn’t do it anymore. That’s why I ran…because I was sick of being trapped. Now…I don’t know…” Liam searched Tony’s face for answers. “I might have gotten out of that box and into another.”

Tony’s jaw went slack, his bright, brown eyes wide with realization. He swallowed hard, setting his face into a firm state. There was empathy in his voice. “No more boxes,” Tony stated point blank. He reached behind Liam and tugged off the suit jacket. “You do whatever the fuck you want.” 

“Even go home?” Liam tested the waters. 

Tony chuckled, “Do you want to go back to that cramped space?” He arched an eyebrow. “And get tested for the Black Plague?”

Liam colored from humiliation. He knew that small apartment was the worst thing he could live in, and still have a roof over him but, it was his. “No,” he sighed in full honesty. It was his, but it was his to hate. “But, I left behind my stuff.” 

“I will go pick it up for you,” there was something in his voice that said that Tony wouldn’t send off some lackey to get it. That Tony would go there himself. “Might even bring back a piece of debris as a souvenir.” 

Liam smiled tightly. “Thanks,” he wasn’t sure if he could always get Tony’s humor. “Can you grab something specifically?” His mind flashed back to the cell phone that he had left behind. “Can you grab…well, can you grab my wig?”

“Wig?” The inventor was surprised at his request. “Don’t you like your golden curls?” 

Liam quickly reeled back before Tony would even brush against his hair. “I hate it,” he looked over at his reflection in the mirror. Three copies of him appeared. His golden curls had curled up even more, looking more like a doll’s hair, all smooth and pushed against his scalp. With his pale skin, it made him look like a doll. “I hate it. I hate the color. I hate how it curls. And I hate how draws attention to myself. That’s why I have that wig…I feel more…comfortable with it on.”

Tony moved his body, blocking Liam’s view of himself. “Why not dye it? It seems silly to wear a wig all day.”

Liam watched Tony. He looked at the inventor’s own dark hair, it was browner then it was black. It looked natural and perfect with his casually sun kissed, tan skin. “I can’t….” He paused, trying to find the right words. “I have tried. But, every time I try to dye….black, red, hell, even green….it works for a day or so before…the blond comes back.” 

“And you don’t think that’s odd?” Tony questioned. 

Liam narrowed his eyes at him, “Everything about me is odd, Stark,” he flicked his fingers to demonstrate. Ice needles flew out of his fingers and hit their mark on the painting of the landscape. “I never really questioned what is odd.”

With a sigh, he slouched forward. “My mother always enjoyed my hair,” He admitted. He could still feel her long nails scratching against his scalp when she wanted to sooth him. “Thought that a son with the same color as hers was…something special. She always looked at me like…it was some joke to her.” 

Tony leaned towards him, pressing himself shoulder to shoulder, and drawing his head close to his. “If it’s any consolation,” he spoke in a soft voice. His face was an inch away from Liam’s. “I think you look better with black.”

Liam could smell the natural scent of Stark this close. He smelled like he hadn’t bathed in days but, with the musky scent of sweat and motor oil combined with a few sprits of cologne, Liam really didn’t mind. “T-thank you…” he replied softly. He could feel his cheeks grow hot. 

The room fell silent as their eyes met, the only real noise was the soft breathing. Liam’s tongue darted out and gently licked his suddenly dry lips. At this, Tony moved closer, bridging the gap even closer. His heart was beating faster and faster, Tony was just a breath away. 

“Stark…” He whispered. 

“Call me Tony.” He commanded. 

Liam wished he would leaned forward, move. The wait was killing him. He didn’t know what he waited before. “Tony…” 

A face of a woman appeared right behind Tony’s shoulder in the mirror. Surprised, Liam reeled back so quickly that he toppled over the platform. Tony jumped in surprised and pulled back as well. 

“Liam?” He asked but, it was more of a confused question. It was as if Tony was waking up from a spell. 

Liam looked over at the mirror again, not wanting to look back at the inventor. He saw a flash of blond hair and green eyes before it flashed away. The face looked upset. 

Liam scrambled to his feet, the floor shifty under him but, he prayed it would open up and swallow him whole. “I…” He can’t believe he almost….with Iron Man. “I need the restroom.”

He didn’t bother to wait for a reply before Liam ran off. 

\--

Liam splashed cold water on his face. He kept the water running as he leaned against the bathroom’s sink. He looked at the bathroom’s reflection, he wondered if his face showed signs of madness. All that stared back as a wet face. 

He sighed and bowed his head over the sink. His heart was racing and he needed to calm down. Tony shouldn’t worry about what just happened. He cupped his long fingers under the rushing water before taking a big gulp. 

“You are getting water on your nice clothes, William,” A sultry voice purred. 

Through the reflection of the mirror, a tall and beautiful woman stood between the bathroom stalls. Long blond hair fell over her bare shoulders, curling in small loos at the ends. Her heart shaped face was set in with ruby red lips that curved into a smile that did not reach her emerald green eyes.

“Mother…” His breath caught, his eyes looking at her vision in the mirror. “I…how did you find me?” 

Her laugh was light, almost bell like but Liam knew it was not as joyful as it sounded. “I’ve always known where you are, William,” She flipped a strand of hair behind her. “I _am_ your mother.” 

Liam closed his eyes, willing her away. This was just another one of her tricks. She couldn’t’ be here, she couldn’t…

“Be here?” His mother finished his thoughts. He didn’t remember turning but suddenly he was facing her. 

His mother looked out of place in the men’s restroom as her floor length green dress danced above the tiles. Black lace grew from the green like moss, whirling around in delicate patterns that could only be done with fingers, towards the black corset that wrapped around her chest. As if trying to seduce men, she presented her deep cleavage over the top of the corset. 

It was only until she touch his face did he realize that she was standing right there. “Do you take me for a common witch?” The sharp coldness to her voice did not conceal the challenge in her voice. “I am no mere witch or , _seiðkonur_. Who am I, William?”

Her long nails pinched his cheeks when he tried to look away. She forced him to look right at him. “My…my mother…”

She tsk’d and her nails dug in deeper. “I was someone else before I brought you to life. Now,” She moved closer. “Who am I?”

“Amora.”

She smirked in triumph but, Liam saw the cruelty in it. “Good boy,” she patted his cheek and moved away. “You still know your place.”

Liam caught back some air, not knowing when he might get a fresh breath of air next. The air where she stood was thick with the scent of smoke, ozone, and bitter taste. Liam covered up his gag by turning off the water. When he looked back, Amora was looking like everything was beneath her. 

“Why are you here?” He spoke calmly, it would no one good if Tony overheard them. 

She was playing with the bowl of potpourri, scooping it up and letting it fall down like rain. “I’ve heard what happened, my Trickster,” she cooed. 

“Don’t call me that.” Liam practically growled. 

As if he had said nothing, Amore continued on. “I came to retrieve what belongs to me,” she pinched a dried petal on her fingers. Liam watched as the dead petal got fresh life, turning from old brown to bright red. “It is time for you to stop playing games and come back. I have need of you for my plans, my child.”

His body was shifting towards her, as if he was being pulled by an invisible thread. “No!” He launched backwards and clung to the porcelain counter like a lifesaver. “I want no part in your plans, mother. I told you that.” 

Her full lips turned into a pout. “But that was years ago,” she sighed and looked around the restroom once more. “You will be better off with me then…living in this dump.”

“I don’t actually live here, mother,” he rolled his eyes. “This is a restroom. No one lives here but toilet paper, urine, and sh-”

Liam’s head smacked into the mirror behind him. A crown of pain exploded all over to him and it became too heavy bare, he slid down to the floor on his knees.   
I don’t like doing this, William,” she crouched down in his vision. She moved her hand over his throbbing scalp. There was a shiver of cold air before the pain went away. “But, do not backtalk to the one who gave you life.” 

“I am not going with you, mother,” he panted. The spell she used created a numbness over his limbs. “I have a better life now than I ever did with you.” 

She sighed and even Liam could sense her shaking her head in dismay. “Is this even better? I gave you freedom and all I wanted was support,” she reminded him, praising herself like a saint. “Now, you are prisoner of the Avengers.” 

He whipped his head back. “I am not a prisoner!” Tony was waiting outside the door, probably wondering where Liam had gone to. “Tony is my friend.”

“Would a friend threaten you? Hurt you? Scare you?” She threw at him. “The Iron Man is no friend of yours, Liam. All he sees is a test subject. Something to experiment on. And when he is done…he will throw you out.” 

“He won’t! He-”

“He said it himself that you are a test subject,” Liam didn’t want to know how long Amora had watched them. “He is just trying to make you more willingly by treating like a prince. All he cares about is himself. He is manipulating you into liking him. And it is working.” 

Liam clenched his eyes shut. He couldn’t count how many times Stark had laid a hand on him. Bruised him. Scared him. And then trying to make things up with new stuff. A new place to live, clothes….

“Oh god…” he bowed his head as realization came crashing down. 

His mother cooed and pulled him close into her arms. She ran her hand along his back. “I have always taught you to only trust yourself, my little one,” she kissed his curls. “No one else.”

His body felt weak and he let his mother hold him. It was better if he just let her before she threw another tantrum. “I won’t go with you,” he swore as he drew himself away from her. “I will have no part in your plans.”

Amora’s green eyes were filled with doubt. “Fine but, if you ever change your mind,” she waved her hand and a black silk pouched appeared in her palm. “Use this to get away from the Avengers. Just a sprinkle in their food and they won’t be in our hair anymore.”

Liam plucked the bag from her hand. It was lightweight and no bigger than his thumb. “What is it?” he bounced in his palm. 

“Sleeping powder,” she smiled, bringing herself and Liam up from the ground. She felt the need to reassure him further as she smiled. “It won’t hurt them. Just make them sleepy. It is…a just in case. 

Liam looked down at the pouch once more, half expecting it to suddenly turn into snakes. “Just in case.” He repeated mindlessly. 

“Good boy,” she praised. Her lips were like acid on his forehead. “I will stay in touch.”

With a glimmer of smoke, Amora was gone. Liam pocketed the small bag into his pocket and moved out. 

\--

Liam had no idea if the pouch was a Holy Grail or a serpent in the reeds. Ever since Stark and he got back from shopping, his mind was solely on the pouch. Hell, it was like a weighted stone in his pocket. As much as he hated it, his mother was right. He could only trust himself. No one else. Not even Stark. 

The knock on the door broke his train of thought. In a panic, like he was caught with a bag of drugs, Liam chucked the bag away. “Come in.”

Tony didn’t wait for the second word before barging his way in. He held his arms behind his back. “Got everything?” the inventor asked, looking around the room. Piles of bags of clothes have yet to be put away. Liam hadn’t bothered to touch it. 

“Yeah,” Liam gave him a tight smile. “I got everything.”

Tony clicked his tongue, “Not everything.” He corrected as he moved towards him. 

Liam slid further up the bed as Tony approached. They hadn’t really spoken since the tailors, only in simple words. Tony dropped Liam off at the Tower before rushing off something. 

“What do you mean?” His throat felt dry. If his mother hadn’t interrupted them, they might have kissed. A part of him wished she hadn’t. 

The billionaire didn’t carry the awkward air as he did. “You forgot this,” he smirked before he dumped an animal on Liam’s lap. 

He jumped back, expecting the piece of fur to jump at him. It was only a second before Liam realized the creature wasn’t alive, or even a creature. Liam picked up the lump, his fingers smoothing down the silk strands. 

His wig.

Liam’s heart leapt up in his throat. Holding his wig was like holding the last piece of the puzzle to his strange life. “Thank you…thank you, Mr. Stark.”

There was a flash of hurt on Tony’s face so fast that Liam swore he imagined it. “No problem, kid,” he ruffled up Liam’s golden curls before he could protest. “Get some shut eye; we will be working on you tomorrow.”

Liam watched him moved out of the door, not giving Liam a chance to speak. Left alone, he flopped on his back, his mind and body screaming for sleep. If only it was going to be easy. 

\--

Tony ran fingers through his hair. He had gone only a few yards away from Liam’s door before the one person he had been trying to avoid all day appeared. Despite the late hour, Pepper hardly looked phased by the time. She still had that scowl on her face from this morning. It might be a permanent thing. 

“Pepper,” he gave her a smile. “I am happy to talk to you. But, right now, I need some sleep.” He gestured towards their bedroom, hoping she might give up her anger for another night. One night, that’s all he wanted. 

“No.” Pepper’s eyes narrowed. “We are going to talk. Now.”

Tony sighed. “There is no way to get around this, is there?”

“No.” 

“Fine…” he pinched his nose. “Lead me to my execution then…” 

Tony hoped that Pepper’s blade would be swift and true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS SO LATE! I am sorry about the delay, school is a whore that does not want to kiss (no idea what that means...) Anyway, sorry about the delay. I will work on this story a lot during the summer break. Please review kudos, review, and subscribed!


	10. Hot to the Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter that raised the rating....

Tony was starting to fear the silence. More times than naught, silence was golden and it mean tony could get his work down. Now, this silence was worrisome bordering heavily on dread. Pepper sat across from him on a separate couch, her face pinched as if she swallowed something sour. 

Tony knew that look all too well. Pepper was thinking, strategizing her course of action. Tony’s stomach was cold as he remembered that Pepper had all day to think what she would say; which meant that this talk was too much or that she was setting something else in the works. 

Tony kept his worry from showing by sipping on a cold glass of whiskey. As soon as he felt his resolve waver, he took a sip. Already, in the course of ten minutes, there was only one more mouthful left. He wanted to get this over with. 

Not because Tony was dreading having an argument with Pepper (it was more of a daily thing now), it was the fact that Pepper was refusing to look at him. She didn’t hide it, Pepper kept her head turned from him, her gaze staring blankly through the landscape of the city. 

Not one to be patient for long, Tony placed the tumbler on the table between them, making sure it clanked on the glass surface to get Pepper’s attention, which worked. Her eyes were heavy, as if she had aged years since he last saw her. She looked tired, weary, and Tony could see the puffiness of her eyes under her concealer. Tony mused at what on Pepper thought of his own state. Pepper still looked beautiful compared to him.

“When is the last time you slept?” That was not the question Tony was expecting. 

“Uh…” Tony cleared away the fog of his thoughts. “A few days ago.” 

Tony was glad that JARVIS was on mute, so he wouldn’t give Pepper the accurate details. 

Pepper nodded slowly, as if she was checking off a bullet-point on a list. She took a pause and Tony knew it wasn’t for dramatic effect. “A few days,” she repeated, as to break it to him gently. “A few days and…I am not sure who I am looking at right now.”

He started. It was almost as if Pepper was speaking Martian. “What?” he looked around, half expecting another Tony (probably with a more awareness of Pepper’s mindset and maybe golden eyes) to appear behind him. “Pepper, I am still the same old Tony.”

“The same Tony who went after a kid just because his wallet was stolen rather than cancel it?” she shot back. “Or the same Tony that threaten the same kid more than once? Who hurt him in this room?”

Tony winced at her words as if each word was a bullet. He had no idea how much Pepper knew, or who filled her in with all the details but, Tony was in hot water all the same. “Pepper,” he called out, hoping that she would give him space to speak. When she didn’t make another sound, Tony continued. “The past few days have been….chaotic, hectic, insane beyond reason! But…that is not much an excuse is it?” 

He buried his face in his hands, his fingers splayed across his skin like a mask. He could feel the pucker and callous skin of his injured hand against him. As if his brain hit him across the noggin with a baseball bat, Tony remembered how as soon as he touched that green gem in Doombot’s body…that was the recent time he remembered sleeping. At least, he hoping it was sleep. 

With the rush of his mini-flashback, the dream he saw came flooding back. That threat of doom over the city, the lack of an explanation, not knowing where Pepper was. 

Loki. 

Tony outwardly groaned as he remembered the god appearing in his dream. It wasn’t the first time that chaotic god did that but, there was something off about Loki. As if he was, in his nightmare fueled mind, something that Tony couldn’t control. 

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice brought him to the present. 

“Things just spiraled out of control,” Tony leaned into the couch but he was far from relax. “Why are you bringing up the past?”

“Because it is affecting the present!” Pepper looked shocked at her own outburst. She shook her head and replied in a more calm voice. “Liam is still with you. With us. Ever since the gala we went to…” her eyes grew heavy with sorrow at him. “You have changed so much, Tony. You have become more testy, out of focus, and aggressive. And I am starting to be afraid.”

Tony felt the world crashing down before she finished. The look she had before Tony went to the mall with Liam, it was full of fear. His heart clenched and shriveled up as he noticed that, behind her calm exterior, that fear was still present. He suddenly felt dirty.

“Pepper…” he couldn’t form any other words. 

With the shock shifting his view point, Tony could hear the sniffle in her voice. “Regardless of who Liam could be; nothing excuses you from being…”

“Aggressive? Threatening?” Tony threw out numbly. 

“Like your father.”

Tony was glad, for once, that Pepper wasn’t looking at him again. His body was shaking hard, as if he was freezing. Three words and Tony was small. Weak. Defenseless. Tony’s struggled to swallow as his throat constricted tightly around like a snake. 

Pepper’s words echo in his head, a never ending loop. They both knew, all those that Tony trusted (the few and the loyal), what Tony went through. How Howard acted towards Tony. Although, no action was taken, his father’s words were enough for him to feel the blow. 

And Tony just repeated history with Liam. Just because Liam might be Loki. Because Liam might be a threat. When all Liam had done was saved his life and be…a kid. 

Tony didn’t hear the click of Pepper’s heels until he felt her hand reach for his shoulder. Her grip was loose, timid, as if she feared him reacting badly. “You are not him, Tony,” she replied to his racing thoughts. “Not yet. You don’t need to be. You can stop this.”

He wanted so badly to reach out and grab onto her, his lifeline. But, what part of him deserved her? Even though Pepper admitted her fear, there was still a softness of forgiveness to her. “I can…” he didn’t feel the energy in his own voice. “I will work on this. I promise.”

Her nails tipped back his head so he could look at her. “You need sleep, Tony,” she urged him. “Get some rest and we will sort this out together.”

“Yeah,” Tony let Pepper lift him from his spot. “Rest.”

\--

He knew if he kept his body small enough, maybe he wouldn’t be found. That tiny bit of hope wasn’t enough to stop his body from shaking in fear. No matter how much he hid, he was always found. He had stop praying to powerful beings after one prayer got too loud and he was found under his bed. 

His sanctuary was dark, it was engulfing him and filling his lungs with mildew and dirty water. When the floors outside creaked with footsteps, he kept his breathing still. The footsteps were heavy, like elephants stomping on glass. As if he could see the person, he followed the footsteps, marking where they were in his mind. 

The footsteps made quick stops and he could hear drawers and cabinets being searched. He knew, deep in his heart, his place of safety would be next but, it was never a comfort he relied on. The footsteps stopped right in front of him. His body tightened, ready for what was to come. 

Then the footsteps walked away. 

A tiny breath, no louder than a mouse squeak, escaped his lips. Before his next heartbeat, the dark world he lived in exploded with bright light. He didn’t have a chance to move before large hands grabbed hold of him and dragged him out. 

“No! No! Please!” He cried, his feet kicking at the ground. 

Cold eyes looked down at him, there was nothing in those eyes expert for anger and bloodlust. Those eyes made him freeze on the floor. “You have a lot of nerve to backtalk to me like that, boy,” fingers drew to his pants, fingering the belt. “Maybe you can learn something from this. For once. If not, we can always try again.”

The thick belt was pulled out of the confines of the belt loops. Like a whip, it was held high, ready to strike. “No, no, please!” 

“What was that?” The whip stilled. 

“Please…Tony…stop….” he begged, not wanting to feel the blows. “I promise to be good. I swear it.”

“No, Liam,” he cried out when fingers pulled at his scalp. “You are going to learn your lesson for disrespecting me and my work, again Liam.” His head was harshly dropped. “And we will keep at it until you know your place in my world.”

And the whip was raised again.

\--

Tony shot up in bed so quickly it wasn’t humanly possible. He whipped his head again, looking for any signs of what he just saw. Just witnessed. The room was dark but, through the light pollution from outside, Tony knew enough about the shapes to know that he was still in his bedroom. 

Tony swallowed as his hand moved to the lamp near his bed. With the dim lights on, a small part of his anxiety was washed away by the glow. Yes, he was still in his bedroom. Although that memory still clung to his mind, Tony knew it was a dream. A horrible, horrible dream. 

“Tony?” Tony’s body tighten at his name. There was so much pleading in Liam’s voice when he…when he...

An extra light added to the dim glow, nearly blinded him. Pepper moved up to sit in the bed, her pajamas ruffled from a deeper sleep than Tony could ever achieve. “Hey, Peppers,” Tony gave her a lopsided grin. “Did I wake you?” His voice felt fake, even to him. 

Pepper said nothing as she scooted closer, her small hands gripping the back of his arms. Gently, she tipped Tony down gently, until his head landed in her lap. Nimble fingers ran through his hair, stroking against his scalp with tenderness he didn’t deserved. 

“Was it New York?” She asked, experience of what to do in her voice. Tony wondered how many nights they have been through this to the point, comforting Tony was instinctual. “Christmas?”

“No,” he kept his eyes staring at the wall across from them. It wasn’t a black hole. It wasn’t watching Pepper fall. “It was something…new…” he admitted, his chest panging in shame. 

If Pepper suspected anything, she didn’t say, she kept her fingers combing through his hair. Tony broke from her grip to look up at her face. “If you ever need to talk…” She smiled on hopes it was contagious. “I am here for you.”

Tony cupped her cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin against his cold palm. Her smile grew in size as she gripped both his wrist and his hand. After what he put her through, especially in the last week, Pepper was a pool of forgiveness and patience. How in the world did he even manage to get her in his life? 

“Try and go to sleep, Tony,” Pepper smoothed out his hair. “I will be here.”

Tony nodded numbly, Liam’s voice still panging through his head. He wonder how Liam was fairing.   
\--

Liam stared up at the white ceiling above him, his restless mind keeping him past midnight. He couldn’t stop thinking about earlier, in the tailor shop. If his mother hadn’t appeared when she did, Tony might have kissed him. Despite the gut wrenching fact that Tony was engaged, Liam wondered what it would be like to kiss him. 

The man had scared him more times than Liam could count, with words and physical action. Yet, past that, there was something about him. His endless wit that made the situation lighter than it was. The way his eyes sparkled when he had an idea, Liam could almost see the gears turning. The warmth he gave off when he was close to Liam.

There was also the darker side of the inventor. Tony’s eyes turned cold and steel, the need to make things right no matter the cost. The destructive nature. The chaos. Some part of him appreciated that…like that…yearned for that. 

Through the chaos that was his life as of late, Tony acted as a balm. He took charge of the situation. When those bots attacked his apartment, Tony knew how to save lives. The genius knew how to track Liam down after Liam took his credit card. He was a force to be reckon with. 

Liam’s mind drifted backwards in time, to that day. If he closed his eyes, Liam could still feel the hard body of the inventor pressed against him against the brick wall. The bricks were sharp, digging into his back. Tony’s hot breathe against his neck, a stark contrast to the bitter cold air. 

With what he experienced with being with the hero, Liam knew how it would feel to have Tony grip onto his body. His callouses fingers, hard from working on machines, digging into his chin as he forced Liam to look at him. 

“Don’t look away,” the mental Stark hissed. 

In his mind, Stark grabbed hold of his wrists tightly and pinned them above his head. Cold cuffs gripped him there, freeing Stark’s hands while pining Liam there. Stark’s hands ran along his sides, squeezing sensitive areas until Liam gasped. His large hand cupped him through his jeans, petting him, claiming it as his. Liam felt himself grow hard as he lost himself to the fantasy.

As Stark’s fingers gripped his zipper, so did Liam’s. He hissed as warm air made contact with his cock. With a sharp tug, he yanked his member out from the confines. 

“Look at you,” A hand squeezed him. “Hard like a wanton whore. You like this?”

“Yes!” Liam hissed as he pumped his cock. God, he could almost feel Stark’s hands on him. 

His deep chuckle sent vibrations through him. Liam followed the sound with groans, his eyes fluttering as his grip alternating between hard and soft. Stark’s lips found his neck as Liam tossed it to the side, sharp teeth digging into his flesh. 

“Stark…” Liam panted, his other hand pulling down his pants to give himself more room. His hand sped up. 

Liam threw his head back as the fantasy took a different turn, as he imagined himself on his knees before Stark. He didn’t know if his Stark said anything or it was just his mind. With one hand still gripping himself, Liam pulled down Stark’s pants. 

A thick member greeted him, pulsating with need for him. Liam whimpered at the tiny bead dripping from Stark. With a great thirst, Liam licked it up. It tasted of salt and sweat and Stark. He swallowed it before taking the rest into his mouth. 

Liam’s finger flicked over his tip, his toes were curling up in pleasure. “Stark…” He whimpered as he felt himself coming close to the edge. 

“Yes, suck it, whore,” Stark gripped his hair hard. His hips kicked into gear. “Suck my cock.” 

So eager to please, Liam sped up, relaxing his throat to swallow in more. Stark moaned in approval as Liam hollowed his cheeks around him. Stark’s fingers loosen from his hair, turning them to pet Liam’s hair. “Such a good boy,” he panted. “I want to hear you scream my name before you come.”

“Yes,” Liam rocked himself up towards the sky. Stark ran his thumb over his lips before forcing it into Liam’s mouth to suck. God, his fingers on his tongue was amazing. 

“Come for me, Liam,” Stark ordered smoothly, his hand finishing himself off. “Say my name.”

“Tony!” Liam shouted, his fantasy self, Stark, and himself all coming in union. 

Liam flopped down on the bed, his heart racing as his hand drew in slow movements against his cock, milking the last few drops. His belly and hand were covered in his milky, white seed. Although Stark wasn’t really in here, Liam wondered how his face would be if Liam licked himself clean. Would he be pleased? Aroused? Or disgusted? Not wanting to get his hopes up any further, Liam grabbed some tissues and began to clean himself up. 

Sometimes it was better to leave things to the imagination. 

\--

“Your wound seems to be healing nicely, Liam,” Dr. Banner stated, his gloved fingers circling around the stitches. 

“That’s good,” Liam brushed back black hair from his face. “It does not hurt as much as it did earlier.” 

The doctor nodded and grabbed the roll of gauze for the new bandages. “Good,” he paused. “Are you sure you don’t want to go see one of SHIELD’s doctors for a thorough exam?” 

What Liam experience with SHIELD, as small as it was, he didn’t feel comfortable around them. It was like they were waiting for him to mess up so they could lock him up. “I’m fine,” he smiled to affirm his decision. “You are a better doctor than anyone else I have met.” 

The older man smiled politely, the smile not reaching his eyes. “I am sure you can wrap this up yourself.”

Banner was quick to retract his hand once the gauze passed through Liam’s hands. Biting back a sigh, Liam made quick work of redressing his wound. He couldn’t blame the doctor for the tension, Liam had to admit that there was some similarities to him and the man who attacked New York years ago. 

The images of the worst of the New York attack was kept hidden by the general public but, no one could really filter the social network. One leaked image and it blew up. One of those images was the catalyst to the attack. Yet, in those attacks…a new hero team was assembled. 

And he was currently residing in their tower. 

Liam was hit with a wave of realization and giddiness. Yes, he was in the Avenger’s Tower. He had met three of the Avengers. If Ivan was here, he would have asked for everyone’s autograph. Doctor Banner who checked his wound, the golden hair god who was pleased to see him, and Tony…

‘Such a good boy’

“Liam?” Dr. Banner’s voice spoke through the fog. “Are you alright?”

Liam nearly jumped out of his seat. He hated how his mind wandered like that, especially on the inventor. “I’m fine, Dr. Banner,” he finished the wrapping and grabbed his shirt. “Just…thinking.” 

“Of what?” He arched a skeptical eyebrow at him. 

“Stark,” Liam admitted before he realized. He inwardly winced. “Shouldn’t he be here by now?”

It seemed the doctor had the same idea. He looked at his wristwatch, checking the time. “It’s nearly noon,” the doctor looked up. “We can continue on with the tests, do a physical test. Or we go get some food.”

“Lunch sounds nice,” Liam tugged on his shirt. “Does Mr. Stark even have food in his fridge?”

The man laughed, genuinely, “Not a fan of take out?”

Liam groaned, “Nay, good doctor. It is a not fan of my poor stomach.”

Banner readily agreed. “I am sure I can fix up something for us.”

\--

As it turned out, as soon as Bruce left the kitchen to grab a cookbook from his room, Liam took over. Currently, Liam was dicing up the rosemary for the minestrone cooking on the stove. The good doctor was assisting him by preparing a fresh loaf of garlic and herb bread. Already the kitchen was being filled with the rich scents. 

“My word, very rude of ya’ll not to invite me to the party.” A cocky voice entered. 

After his fantasy, seeing Tony again sent Liam’s mind into a fuzz that was becoming all too familiar. The inventor leaned against the hall to his bedroom, a pair of jeans hugging his hips, a black tank top that showed off his surprising muscular arms, and his hair tussled from sleep. When Tony sensed him starring, he quirked up an eyebrow in curiosity but his smirk betrayed his approval for the staring. Liam colored and returned to lunch. 

Tony swaggered into the kitchen, “Making me lunch? How sweet of you.”

“Since you took so long to wake up,” Bruce interjected. “We had to postpone some of the tests.”

“It is not like you couldn’t do it yourself, big boy,” the inventor eased his way through to the fridge. Liam could smell his cologne from here. 

The doctor spun around as soon as bread was in the oven. “I am not even sure what I am looking for, Tony!”

“Well…think of something!” Tony snapped back. “Physical tests, mental tests…even see if he is even a boy.”

The exit from the kitchen was blocked with Tony and Bruce, forcing Liam to live in the tension forming there. Liam he saw someone in the corner of his eye. Right out of the elevators, the thunder god looked out of place even if he was wearing casual clothing. There was no mistaking the powerful aura that came off Thor like a cloak around his shoulders. 

“Good afternoon!” Thor’s voice broke through the tension. 

At the god’s intrusion, Tony moved away from the kitchen, a drawn look on his face as if he was disappointed in himself. “Hey, Point Break,” Liam could see the tension in Tony’s neck. 

“Thor,” Bruce said after a deep breath. 

“Good afternoon Bruce and…” Sky blue eyes looked right at Liam. He could feel Thor looking him up and down, drawing in looks of mixed emotions. “Bro-Talbot.”

“Please, Liam,” he blurted out before he could stop himself. “Or…you know…whatever.” 

There was a quirk in Thor’s lips, smiling at bit at Liam’s rambled words. Avoiding looking at the god for long, Liam turned back to the minestrone on the stove. Thundering footsteps bounced on the floors as the god perched himself on the stool. “What are you making?”

“We are making-”

“Liam?” Thor’s question was directed at Liam, not Bruce.

As if his voice was a hard nudge, Liam looked back at the god. His eyes refused to leave him, as if everything he did was perfect. He shifted on the spot, not sure what to feel about the spotlight. 

“Minestrone served with toasted garlic and herb bread, with a winter fruit salad off to the side, garnished with a lemon-poppy seed dressing.” Just talking about it made Liam more hungry for it. 

“No meat?” Thor was definitely disappointed by the way he glared at the pot. 

“You will like it,” Liam stressed out. “It is good for you.”

“What meal is it where there is no meat?” He challenged. 

“A good one,” Liam huffed as he returned back to the pot to stir it. “Perhaps, with a better diet you might live an extra hundred years.”

Thor’s laugh was deep and booming but, also light and warm. Liam felt his lips tilting up in a smile. At the corner of his eye, he saw Bruce sharing a small smile as well, as he finished the mentioned fruit salad. Tony, on the other hand looked a bit put off by the exchange. “Since when can you cook?” Stark asked. 

Liam ducked down to check on the bread. “Always,” he stated as fact. “With my mother busy all the time, I learned to cook for myself. I have always enjoyed cooking. It is like an art.”

“Yeah?” Tony nudge his way to Liam’s side. “But is it any good?”

If looks could kill, Tony would have been pushing up daises right now. “Of course it’s good!” He grabbed the ladle and dunk it into the pot. “Here!”

All the attention was drawn towards Tony as the inventor looked down at the hot, red concoction. He watched Tony wrapped his lips around the edge and drew it towards his mouth. Despite the confidence he had, Liam was worried about what Tony thought.

“Hmm,” Tony licked his lips. “Needs more olive oil.”

“It does not-” Liam was cut off when Tony wrapped his arm around Liam. His breath caught as he felt Tony’s body pressed against him. When Tony retreated, Liam realized that he grabbed the bottle of oil. 

After sprinkling in a small amount of the oil in it, Tony lifted the ladle towards Liam. He hated the cocky and smug looked on Tony’s face as Liam took it. Placing his lips where Tony’s had been, he sipped on the soup. As the tomato rolled into his taste buds, it was followed sweetly by beans. 

“Well?” Tony grinned wide. “Is it good?”

Liam quickly grabbed the pepper shaker, his eyes refusing to leave Tony’s, as he shook it into the pot. “Now, it is.”

He took up the challenge by taking another sip the stew. Tony let out a soft moan at the taste. “Damn…that is better.” The inventor winked. “Well, Gordon Ramsey….serve us.” 

“Who is this Ramsey?” 

Before any explanation could be given, JARVIS spoke above them. “Excuse me for the interruption, sir,” with no real emotions, it was hard to tell if Jarvis meant it. “There seems to be a conflict that requires Thor and Dr. Banner’s attention.”

Thor looked more off put at being called into duty. “Very well,” he stood up. “Liam’s lunch will have to wait.” 

Banner took off his apron before joining the god at the elevators. “You two be safe in the meantime,” he gestured to Tony and Liam.

Liam bit back a yelp as Tony suddenly pulled him closer. “Don’t worry, guys…we will behave, watch a movie and probably paint our toenails. Liam will look smashing in a nude shade.”

He was suddenly glad that Bruce and Thor were leaving or else they might have seen Liam’s face turn a fiery red. He ducked under Tony’s arms as the inventor went to exchange a few more words with them.

“You aren’t going with them?” Liam questioned as soon as the Avengers vanished into the elevator. “You are an Avenger, right?”

“Retired Avenger actually,” Tony slid into the barstool. “I only come out when there is a big emergency. Or I have to; like your apartment.”

Liam nodded, even though he couldn’t get his head around it. The Avengers without Tony Stark seemed odd and strange. It was as if they were missing an important limb. “Might as well enjoy lunch,” Liam scooped a hefty dose into several bowls. “Can’t let it go to waste. We can eat lunch together and-”

Tony got up so suddenly that the barstool squeaked on the floor. “Actually…” He grabbed his bowl and a spoon. “I need to work on something. I will be in my lab if you need me.”

“I mean, I guess if you have something to do, yeah or…” Tony was already heading towards the elevator. 

“Great! We will work on your tests when Bruce comes back.” Tony called out before the elevator closed.

“…or we could eat lunch in your lab.” Liam sighed into the empty room. 

\--

It was cowardliness, to walk away like that. Liam was a sweet boy but, Tony couldn’t shake off his dream. The look of Liam’s face…that fear…

Tony pulled out the swirly chair in front of his computer. With a flick of his fingers on the smooth surface, a holographic display of his projects (current and past) were pulled into view. 

“Jar, is there is any urgent projects I need to be working on?” Tony asked, already looking through fifty files that needed to be finished. 

“There are several projects that are requested by Timothy Gould of your Engineering Department,” At his voices, Tony pulled up those files. 

“No…” Tony frowned. “Anything…I don’t know…life threatening? Important? Exciting?”

“Sir, I believe your definition of exciting does not match that current definition other, saner people believe.”

“Then…” Tony clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Anything in my agenda that, if I don’t work on right now then the world will explode? Anything that only I can do?”

There was a pause as Jarvis went through all the files. Tony had made it so that his AI would pick up on flags and keywords for certain occasions. “There is the matter of the DNA results of-”

Tony waved his hand, he needed something to deal with that wasn’t about Liam. “No, no. Put that to the side. Let’s worry about…more important stuff.”

There was a chirp in the speakers, as if Jarvis was exhaling in a sigh. “There is the matter of the Doombot that is still left unfinished.”

Tony’s whole being hummed at that. Liam had nothing to do with that. Kind of. “Pull up the schematics and all my notes. Oh, and put on a pot of coffee.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tony bounced to his feet and moved to the back wall. Half of the wall was made out of steel drawers, akin to a morgue than a lab. After pulling out one of the drawers, Tony looked down at the mess of parts along the slab. Doom’s metal mask stared up at him with soulless eyes. 

“Didya miss me, baby?” Tony cooed as he pushed the slab onto a gurney towards the middle of the room. “I meet several of your brothers a few days ago. They didn’t have the same green colored hardware as you did.”

According to the reports Fury had forward to him, the Doombots that attacked Liam’s apartment complex didn’t have a large green gem like the first one did. Only tiny fragment, no bigger than a fingernail. Thor claimed was powerful magic, which meant, the bigger it was, the more powerful it could be. Something about the one Tony had was special in some way. It could anything from an elite robot or….

Or a prototype. 

As if spurred on by it, Tony’s focus tune right into finding out a way to stop Doom. No one deserved an army of those metal beasts to fall on them. Tony flicked up the holographic diagram into the air. Once it laid over the mess, Tony picked up the physical piece. 

Tony turned the scrap metal between his fingers. He swore he saw the metal turn into a brown hue when he held it in the light before turning back to a dark steel. 

The genius pulled over a swirly chair with his foot and perched himself near the slab. “Jarvis,” Tony placed the smallest piece of metal onto a little glass circle. “Do a scan and tell me the properties of it.” 

The circle gleam blue as JARVIS set to work detailing the components of the metal. Fury did ask him to find out where they came from. 

As he waited for the results, Tony ran several diagnosis of the machine, patching the software to a separate station, and began to rearrange the broken machine back together. Tony turned up the music, blasting off classic rock throughout the lab. 

Tony was so deep into his work that everything else around him all disappeared into the void. There was a sense of calmness to this, his mind focused on one thing. No personal drama, no theories about people, just doing what he does best. 

“Sir,” JARVIS voice squeezed in through the cracks. “Mr. Talbot wishes to gain access to the labs.”

“Sure, sure,” Tony hummed as he looked into how Dr. Doom made his machine’s tick. It was all really simple in its… “Wait, what?”

Before Tony could take back his order, the door to the lab opened up. Liam walked through, carrying a heavy tray full of food. 

“Liam, I said that-”

“That you had something to work on?” Liam looked around before looking at Tony with challenging eyes. “I don’t see you working on anything.”

Tony huffed, “It’s called waiting for results. And another thing-”

“Waiting means you aren’t working on anything,” he interrupted again. He placed the tray on the counter next to Tony. “Which means you can eat.”

“I’m not hungry…” Tony’s eyes glazed over at the display of food on the tray. The minestrone was the perfect shade of red, the bread was drenched in butter, and the fruit salad looked like it came out of a magazine. Liam even put a bottle of beer for him. “Fine, just one bite.”

Liam grinned in his victory as he cleaned off the counter move to set it. Tony looked over at the computer, seeing the analysis at a slow ten percent. “Thanks,” he grumbled as he sat down. 

Tony was cautious as he scooped up a heavy spoonful of the minestrone. His growling stomach urged him in. “Oh…” Tony licked lips to catch the remaining juice. “This is really good.”

Liam beamed, his cheeks flushed from approval. “Thank you. I picked it up from a cooking magazine months ago; always wanted to try it.”

“Keep it up and I might just hire you as my personal chef.” Tony winked as he opened the beer.

He pulled his food closer to him, digging into the homemade lunch with a gusto. Liam, in turn, nibble and took careful sips of his food. With the black wig covering his golden curls, Liam almost seemed like another person entirely. He hardly looked like the kid who spent their first meeting turning as red as a tomato. He almost looked…attractive. 

“Stark?” Tony could almost feel the physical connection as Liam refused to remove his baby blues from his. “Are you alright?”

Tony winced at being caught staring. There was a twinkle of joy in his eyes, as well as concern and anxiety. His eyes were hypnotizing. Something within him was begging him to cross the distance, to make those eyes fill with something wonderful and sinful. 

“I’m fine, Liam. I was just thinking about something.” Tony brushed it away but, in truth, he hardly felt alright. What was wrong with him? First he dreamt of abusing Liam then…his eyes were hypnotizing…

“Sir, the analysis is done.” Came the perfect distraction. 

“Good work, buddy!” Tony hopped out of his chair. The readings appeared on screen automatically. “Show me what Vikki wears to the prom.” He muttered to himself as he read the results.

Something was not right. 

“What is this?” Tony was lucky not to jump out of his skin when Liam suddenly appeared next to him. His blue eyes were looking at the screen, trying to decipher the riddle. 

“Fury’s giving me busy work. Wanted to have me look at where Doctor Doom-the guy who attacked your apartment-got his materials,” Tony rubbed his chin in thought. “I never thought it would be this…complicated.”

“Complicated how?” Liam frowned, looking as completely lost as a puppy.

Tony gesture to the screen, “Look at it! A tiny scrap of metal and it has a smorgasbord of materials. Iron, silver, gold, titanium, even cooper! Cooper man!”

Still the look had not left Liam’s soft face. “Mr. Stark, I am not sure I understand the problem. Aren’t your suits made of the same materials?”

“Yes but, Doom’s bot is all jammed pack with them!” Tony continued grabbing the tiny scrap of metal from the dish to shake it in front of Liam. “The suit is made out a hundred percent silver, a hundred percent gold, a hundred percent iron…how can one metal be composed like this? How can it be both one complete thing and another?”

Realization dawned on Liam. “It is impossible metal…” he breathed. “How can something be made like that?”

Tony’s chest fell. “I wish I knew,” he sighed. Maybe the trick of the light wasn’t a trick any more. “It is like a chameleon metal or something. It could have been created to adapt to any situation. Like fire, cold, and…Liam?! What are you doing?”

Liam held the metal face in his hands, his knuckles tight around it. “Experimenting,” He spoke sharply. Tony saw his eyes narrow before ice began to form from his fingers. Dark ice covered the metal in a sharp sheen. 

“I am not sure you should be doing that, Liam.” Tony scolded. 

Liam passed him a smirk, “I will be fine. I am just testing out your theory, Mr. Stark.” 

Tony saw it before Liam even noticed. Under the dark blue ice, the metal was starting to turn hot red. The color traveled throughout the mask, making its way to Liam’s hands. Liam screamed in pain as his hands got burnt. 

“Liam!” 

Stumbling back, Liam dropped the now fiery mask onto the ground. His back collided with the counter, sliding down into a heap. The ice quickly melted, leaving the mask still a bright red. Tony could smell the burning flesh before he ran to Liam’s side. Seeing it up close confirmed his fears. 

Liam’s once pale hands were a dark red as blisters and peeled skin were already forming. Despite the angry red, Liam hadn’t said a word. Tony could see the tiny tremors of shock already sprouting. 

“Dum-E!” Tony yelled out, his eyes focused on Liam. “Fire extinguisher now!”

There was a squeak as his first robot wheeled in, a fire extinguisher in its claws. “Come on,” Tony wrapped his arm around Liam’s shoulders and brought him up to his feet. “We need to treat that.”

“Stark…” Liam swayed on his feet, his eyes still on his hands in disbelief. “I don’t feel so good.”

Tony squeezed his shoulder gently. “I will take care of you, I promise. Just hang in there.”

As he forced the boy to sit down on a bench, he winced at the appearance of a bone appearing through the skin. Liam’s skin was melting faster than wax. “Stay here.”

The genius ran towards the cabinet that held the first aid kit. Tony was in so much of a rush that he didn’t even bother noticing the tiny jar on the top shelf on the edge of it. “Where are you, you little fucker?” Tony hissed, banging against the locker. 

He found the first aid kit on the top shelf. Tony had to wrestle with it, as it was stuck between heavy books. Tony grunted as he whipped it out, sending him both backwards and glass breaking. On the ground rested the green gem that came out of the Doom bot. It was pulsating brighter green, like a heartbeat. 

Careful not to touch it with his bare hands, Tony picked it up with a cloth and placed it on top of the kit. When he returned, Liam’s face was a ghostly pale as blood began to seep through the cracks. 

Tony slammed the first aid kit on the counter, the green gem rolling out of the way. Tony swore out loud at the lack of proper medical equipment. When was the last time he used this? He grabbed the gauze and anything else he could think of. 

“Jarvis…call for an ambulance,” he didn’t want to scare Liam even further but, they would have to be stupid to see that this was not a first aid kit fixer-upper problem. Tony just needed to hold back everything until help showed up. 

The sight that Tony saw, when he turned around, stopped him in his tracks. Liam held the bare green gem between his fingers, his eyes glazed over. 

“Liam, don’t-”

The green gem turned a sharper green, like poison, as it rolled into Liam’s palm. Time seemed to slow down as Tony watched the green gem resting into the blister and abused skin before it started to melt like ice in Liam’s hand. Liam’s body shook, his back arching, his eyes wide. Tony waited on baited breath, not really sure of what to do.

“Stark,” Liam finally spoke, his body still tensed. His voice was deeper and powerful. Liam tilted his head down. Green eyes looked right at him.“Stark…you must…” 

Liam suddenly jerked forward, agonizing screams cutting him off as his shook wildly. Tony got to him in time, as Liam fell forward and into Tony’s arms. With the added force, both men were knocked to the ground. 

Tony cradled Liam’s limp form in his arms, as he sprawled against the ground. “Liam?” He nudged him to wake up. “Liam, come on kid…speak to me.”

A green sheen of light flashed between them. In shock at whatever just happened, Tony looked down. The once red hands, burnt to a near crisp, was starting to lose its color. His breath caught as he watched the abused, red skin knit itself back together. Any evidence of Liam’s sever burnt hands were washed away in a flash of a second. 

If Tony hadn’t been there to see it, he wouldn’t believe it. He sat on the floor, holding Liam’s body in his lap, the kid’s head resting on his shoulder for several moments in his own shock before Liam began to move. A groan passed through Liam’s lips as he began to stir. 

“Mr. Stark?” Liam craned his head back, blue eyes look as heavy as if he just woke up from a deep sleep. “What’s going on?”

Hearing Liam’s voice again was such a sudden relief. Tony hadn’t realized how scared he was until this moment. “You’re fine,” he wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer. “You’re fine.” Tony pressed a kiss to the top of his head. 

Liam leaned further into his embrace. “Next time…” he nuzzled his nose into Tony’s neck. “You make lunch.”

A strain laugh passed through his lips. “Yeah…yeah…” Tony pulled Liam tighter into his arms. He didn’t want to hear that scream again. 

And he swore never to.


	11. Storm of the Century-Part One

The smell was just as wretched as Steve had imagined. The scaly beast rammed against Steve’s shield, as if it could break through. Steve was pushed back by the force but he kept his ground. He responded just the same as the creature, sending it tripping over its own forked tail. The creature itself looked like a horrible hybrid of a crocodile with it its large body, and a giant toucan with its curved beak. The creature was twitching on the ground, its elongated tail having snapped off in the fall, the cartilage holding it together was a brittle was dry twigs. It was almost like doing an act of mercy to end its life swiftly. It was never designed for anything other than rampage.

And the small Colorado city was crawling with them!

“Barton,” Steve spun his shield into its back holster. “Are there any signs of these creatures escaping the perimeter?”

“No, Cap,” the archer replied in his ear. “All threats are contained and every citizen has been evacuated.” 

“Good, I want to finish this up as quickly and as safely as possible.” Steve stepped over a fallen hybrid beast, this one was a mix of tiger and bear. “And I want Natasha to interrogate our mad scientist.”

There was a faint snap of air being cut through the ear piece. Steve could hear the faint sound of a creature’s roars being cut short from his position. “What makes you think it’s a mad scientist?”

“It is always a mad scientist,” Steve made a mental note never to let Stark become one in his hours of boredom. He would actually be good at it. “Contact me if you hear from Banner. I lost track of him over Olive Grove.”

“Aye, aye, Cap’n!” The earpiece went quiet soon after. 

Steve had just finished when he noticed a blur of red and gold. It made for an impressive sight; Thor standing over bodies of fallen creatures, his hammer charging up with lighting before striking down the last few opponents. Steve was quick to look away; he did not want to see blown up pig/flamingo in his dreams. 

“Rogers!” Not even the act of battle made the thunder god weary. In fact, Steve hadn’t seen Thor this alive in years. “I trust your battle was just as fruitful as mine.”

“Hey, Thor,” Steve saluted him in greeting. “Have you seen Dr. Banner anywhere?”

Thor looked around, as if expecting the great, green guy to come out of the shadows. “Nay,” he shook his head. “I had not seen him since we came to assist you. Do you need his assistance, Captain Rogers?”

Steve shook his head, “We are almost about done,” it was strange how he could easily judge the time needed for these kind of strange missions. “I just want to make sure that he is ready to go.” 

“I shall be on the look-out for him, Captain,” Thor’s attention was caught elsewhere by a new opponent. “After this battle.”

Steve smirked and waved Thor off to take on the newest threat. Even without any other apparent threat, Steve couldn’t relax. This was no place to lower his guard; this was still a battle field. He drew himself away from the pile of animal hybrids towards a pile of rubble near the center of town. 

What was once a grand fountain was now a pile of rocks and debris, as a giant capsule crashed through the stone statue. It was no bigger than a car wheel but, all signs pointed towards this being the carrier of the hybrid creatures. 

“Jarvis,” Steve tapped the more private and secure line. “Connect me with Stark.”

_“Yes, Captain Rogers,”_

Steve was expecting Stark to grab the recovered a quickly as possible, he was always available through this line. However, as Steve listen to the silence, he grew worried. Stark was never the one to screen his calls for the Avengers. 

“Jarvis,” his stomach as cold as ice. “Are you sure that you have put me through?”

_“Yes, Captain,”_ the AI was a bit more clip with him than ever before, as if he was personally offended. _“It seems as if Mr. Stark is not picking up his communicator. Perhaps there is other methods you could try. Perhaps a cell phone, I hear they are such they’re rage?”_

Steve bit his cheek, holding back his comment about the high level of sass Jarvis was giving him. He wouldn’t put it past Tony to upgrade that feature in his AI. But, to go that far? JARVIS, despite the fancy software, he was still a machine. “Patch me through to the video monitor…tell him that I need to talk to him.” 

_“Right away, sir,”_

\--

Tony’s lower back was aching with strain. He really needed a good work-out soon, he was feeling lethargic in his very bones. The inventor twisted his back, and with a quick pop of his bones, he set his spine back into place for now. 

Done with his little stretch, Tony looked down at the cause for this. Laying in his bed was Liam, who was knocked out as Tony was after a wild New Year’s party. It was as soon as Liam’s hands were healed did his body collapse into Tony’s arms. The kid just suddenly feel asleep.

Not that Tony blamed Liam for doing so. It wasn’t every day that some metal thing, came to life and hurt you, only to have a gem suddenly heal you. It was like a healing gem from one of this strange, weirdly dressed role-playing games. Tony couldn’t get his head around how that was possible. It was a mystery for another day. 

Tony couldn’t leave the poor kid unconscious on the lab’s floor. As he wasn’t sure that Dum-E would make for a good nursemaid, he would probably chirp and overfed Liam. Tony had to drag his body all the way up here by himself, and boy, was he paying for it. With Liam tucked in, Tony plopped right next to him. 

With careful fingers, he removed the black wig from his scalp. He really doubt that Liam wanted to sleep in his wig. _And wig only._ Tony shook his head to clear that thought. He brushed a stray blond curl away from Liam’s forehead, his forehead wasn’t hot, which was a good sign that he wasn’t down with a fever. The boy groaned in his sleep, shifting his body away. 

“Jarvis,” Tony spoke to the AI. “Put down a note on my To-Do list; create a powerful hair dye. Something that will really be absorbed into the hair.”

_“Yes, sir. Though, I suggest you trying Rogaine first to cover up your gray hairs.”_

Tony frowned as he touched his hair in response. His hair was perfect. “It’s for Liam, Jar.” What was Jarvis problem? 

_“Apologize sir,”_ Jarvis said but, even that sounded half forced. _“Will it be black?”_

“Something like that,” he muttered. He pulled the covers over Liam’s frame again before pulling himself away. He needed to check Jarvis’s software.

By the time he got back to the lab, he was already hearing the distress tones of one Captain Steve Rogers. Tony turned the corner and was met with the oversize face of the super solider.

“Tony!” Steve shouted, in half relief and half panic. The video was showing a close up of Steve’s face, mask and all, but Tony could see the signs of a tough battle behind him. There was even a cut along the captain’s mask. Tony only hoped his shield was alright; he didn’t want to craft Steve another one. “There you are! I have been trying to reach you!”

Tony frowned instantly. Even though there was no actual physical form, Tony still glared at the ceiling. “Jarvis, why didn’t you tell me that Steve was trying to reach me?”

There was a slight pause, as if his AI had his digital hand caught in the cookie jar. _“I believed that you wanted some privacy with Mister Talbot. I didn’t want to intrude.”_

“Mr. Talbot?” Steve questioned, his eyes full of questions and suspicions. 

Tony waved him off, “Long story. So, why do you need me?” He folded his arms and stared down the super solider.

“We need your help,” He wasn’t ordering, he was inviting Tony like it was a trip to the movies. “There are these strange creatures running amuck and we are not sure how many they are. Or where they came from.”

“First off; did you just say ‘amuck’? Get with the times, Rogers,” Tony bit his cheek when Steve responded with a glare. “And second; I don’t have a suit to help you.”

Rather than take it as a final no, Steve said, “We both know that isn’t true. You have a suit somewhere.”

Tony coughed to cover his embarrassment. Leave it to Steve to read him like an open book. “I just don’t see why you guys need me. You guys have a lot of manpower there.”

“Because the Avengers are not the Avengers without you, Tony Stark,” Steve’s voice was firm with confidence but his eyes soft with memories of their shared battles.

“Aw, shucks, you are making me blush, Rogers.”

“Now, who is the one using old time-y talk?” Steve smirked, both of them knowing that Tony was caught. Nothing could get Tony going like someone stroking his ego. 

“Alright,” Tony rolled his shoulders. “I will be there shortly. Send over the coordinates. And be ready to have your socks rocked!”

“I am not wearing any socks.” Tony threw a plastic cup at his smug grin.   
\--

_It felt like the world’s energy was rushing through his body. It was both as terrifying as it was thrilling. He never felt so alive. He knew if he harness it just right, he could…could anything he dreamed. He could show up his brother, prove to him that magic was better than any sword, and prove to father that-_

_“Ow!” he hissed as the spell backfired and stung his fingers._

_He heard the soft tsk-ing from the corner of the room. He dropped his fingers from his lips to look over. Placed in the corner of the room was a beautiful woman, draped in a soft blue that always brighten with her blond hair. It was curled at the base of her neck, pin back by a golden hair pin he got for her name day one year._

_“Now, Loki, you must keep your mind focused or else your spell will not perform as it should.” She looked at him with such eyes that it felt like she could see right at his true self._

_“Sorry, mother,” Loki twisted his hands together. “It won’t happen again.”_

_His mother shook her head, “You say that often, Loki,” she commented as she glided towards him. She took his hands into hers, her fingers a gentle glow as she mended his flesh. “And here we are, for the thousandth time.” She glared daggers at him for his countless mistakes._

_His face grew hot under her gaze. Her stern face turned soft with her always brilliant smile that just glowed. He was filled with a fresh wave of confidence just being in her presence. Her teachings was something his brother will never have._

_“Now, let’s do that again,” she dropped his hands. “And I want to see improvement, young man.” Loki smiled, his eyes trained on her until she sat back down once more. “Prove to me that you can tap into the potential that I know you have.”_

_“I shall, mother,” he took in a deep breath and summoned the energies around him. He would make her proud._

\--

Liam’s face was wet when he woke up. His eyes felt dried as if he spent hours crying. Yet, he had no recollection of doing so. He couldn’t remember the last time he even cried. Liam pushed against the bed that he found himself in and looked around. This was not his room. 

He wished that everything that happened was a blur but, memories if it came back crystal clear. The metal shifting its form, his hands being on fire, Tony taking care of him, the gem…

Something inside him fluttered at the memory of the green gem. As soon as it was on his abused skin, he had a strange sense. As if the last piece of a puzzle was being fitted into his life. Liam had no idea what happened after that; only Tony held him and was worried about him. 

Remembering Tony’s arms around him, sparked him back to the present. “Tony?” He looked around for any signs of the inventor. “Where are you?”

_“Mr. Stark,”_ Jarvis chimed in. _“Is currently assisting the Avengers on a mission. He left an hour ago.”_

“Oh,” his chest felt heavy. Liam knew that there was no way that Jarvis would ever tell him anything more. There was a sense of secrecy that was needed for the Avengers. “What time is it?”

_“It is five thirty six in the afternoon, sir. You should have been up hours ago.”_

Liam sighed softly. He needed to take his pain medication. With a soft thank you, Liam walked out of the room. It took him only a flash of a second to realize where he was, his room was just down the hall. Liam darted into his ensuite bathroom and made for the medicine cabinet. 

As he walked into the kitchen for something to drink with his medicine, Liam noticed a sharp void. The whole apartment was silent. There was no signs of any life at all. There wasn’t any gentle hum of electronics buzzing. 

“Jarvis,” Liam said after gulping down his pain medication. There was no response. “Mr. Jarvis?” Not even that gave him a reply. 

Liam had only been in the Stark tower for a few days so there was a chance that Jarvis was shut off as soon as Tony was out of it. It would explain why everything seemed so eerily quiet. The theory was quickly dismissed as Liam realize two things; Tony never seem the type to let Jarvis shut down and leave his tower vulnerable, and that Jarvis did speak with him when he woke up. 

As he moved around the penthouse, finding every electronic within sight was either turned off or not functioning. He gave up trying to turn of the television after doing it manually didn’t gain any results. However, the lights were still functioning which was both odd and welcoming; Liam didn’t want to bang around Tony’s place. 

“Odd…” he spoke aloud, as if that could trigger Jarvis back to life. 

His eyes scan the penthouse; surely as it was Tony’s place there had to be a connecting panel to Jarvis up here. Liam moved towards the bar near the tall windows. It didn’t taking him long before finding a white panel with a digital face on the underside of the marble counter. Of course, Tony would keep it here. 

His thin fingers moved along the seam, finding the little dent in the plastic for the panel to unhinge. A tiny little keyboard, no bigger than his palm popped out of the box. Liam pushed against the power button and when the digital scan sparked to life, Liam sighed in relief. He pushed against several buttons, not really knowing what he was doing but, knowing that it could help. 

Somehow, Liam got to a screen that flashed in warning for proceeding any further. It warned a password or else the system would shut off. Liam might have figured out Tony’s PIN number (it was the year he graduated from MIT) but, he was no master hacker. 

“Damn it, Stark, where are you when I need you?” Liam ran fingers through his hair. 

The sound of a door opening nearly made him jump out of his skin. Liam spun around just to see the main door opening for someone. His heart slowed down when he saw that someone was Pepper Potts. A tired, sweaty, Pepper Potts. 

She let out a long sigh of relief as she made into the penthouse, her forehead glisten with sweat. Still, despite the sweat, she was still poise. Her eyes instantly landed on him. “Liam? What is going on? Where’s Tony?”

Liam was hesitate to answer, he had gotten use to Jarvis popping into their conversation so often. “Tony is with the Avengers,” that didn’t seem to be the answer she wanted given her frown. “And…I have no idea what is going on.”

“I had to walk up fifty flights of stairs to here,” Pepper grabbed for a glass of his forgotten water. “The elevators wouldn’t move. I tried to call Tony but, the cell went dead.”

“What?” Liam’s stomach instantly dropped into ice. “Does that happen often?”

“Not unless Tony was using a device that sucks up energy, no,” Pepper’s frown turned a slight suspicious edge. She looked around casually, as if she was waiting for someone to pop out of the shadows. “Since he is with the Avengers…Have you tried reaching Jarvis?”

Liam shook his head, “No but, I have been trying to figure this out,” he waved the tiny keyboard. “I was thinking that this could connect us with Jarvis.”

Pepper’s frown changed into an impressed smirk. “You are a smart young man, Liam, I can see why Tony likes you.”

He hoped that his face wasn’t as pink as he imagined it to be. “T-Tony likes me?” He sputtered, handing Pepper the keyboard as she got close. 

Pepper’s eyes were soft with laughing yet, not at him but more like it was a private joke. “It isn’t every day that Tony brings home just anyone,” she commented but paused. “At least not lately…” 

Liam swallowed, there was something to her words that made him squirmed. It was like she was hinting at something perverse. Like, as if Tony brought him here for sex. A personal sex slave. To be called to service Tony like a wanton whore. That thought was just as perverse as it was spine tingling. Liam bit his tongue from groaning, as he mentally slapped himself. This was not the time for fantasies. 

Pepper’s painted nails clicked on the keyboard, quickly accessing the screen Liam got before. “I should get into the mainframe an reboot the systems,” her fingers danced as she typed in the password. “Then we can work-”

The digital screen flashed an angry red as Pepper’s password was denied. “Miss Potts? Maybe you typed it in wrong.”

Pepper’s eyes narrowed at his suggestion and still, she did typed it again only to receive an angrier screen. It warned them of another tempt to access the mainframe would lead to wiping down everything. “This should have worked,” Pepper bristled, moving her feet away from Liam, the panel still in her hands. “Damn it, Tony.” 

“What could be wrong?” Liam questioned, having no idea what was happening. 

“Unless Tony switched the password without telling me,” she paced in front of the large windows, her eyes zoned on the panel. “Or he let loose a virus.”

Liam’s eyes widen. “Miss Potts…”

“I swear, as soon as he is back, I will-”

“Pepper!” Liam barked sharply. Pepper froze in her spot, her eyes wide with surprise. “Please…” he spoke softly, cautiously. He held out his hand. “Come over here quickly…”

“Why?” 

Liam swallowed, “There is someone behind you.”

Pepper made the mistake of turning around to see. With her out of the way, Liam got a good view of who was floating right outside the window. A green cloak flicked in the winter air as Doctor Doom hovered in the air. He only gave them a second before he lifted his gauntlet towards the glass, a green ball of energy sparking up. 

There wasn’t enough time to scream before the glass blew in.

\--

Tony’s hand repulsors were giving out a forty percent discharge with every attack. This is what he got from using old tech. However, when Captain Freedom-Loving America asked you to come, you come. Tony grabbed the neck of a lizard monkey hybrid and threw it up in the air, where it was knocked back down by an arrow through the throat.

“I could have done that myself, Barton,” Tony yelled at the archer perched on the overturn bus.

“You’re welcome, grandpa,” Clint laughed after hitting two creatures behind Tony. 

Tony rolled his eyes within the suit. “Since you are so great, Master Barton, I must take my leave of you.” He spoke with a bow. 

Clint was stunned as Tony jetted up into the air. Before Tony zoomed down a street, he thought he heard Clint screaming to come back. He had other things to do. From up in the sky, it wasn’t hard to spot the brightly colored leader of the Avengers; who was currently looking in the need of a rescue. 

With a smug grin, Tony took aim and fired at the monsters surrounding him and the big crater. Rogers turned around just as Tony was lowering himself down to the ground. Tony grunted when the landing was a bit too sharp for his taste, he really need to recalibrate this suit. 

“Stark,” Rogers nodded his head. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.” 

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Tony didn’t want to admit it out loud but, he missed this. Even with the outdated hardware, there was something pleasant and peaceful about fighting on the battlefield. “What’s the situation?”

“Several hours ago, a meteor was spotted right out the local air force base. However, as it got closer to the atmosphere, the more it took shape of a missile. It crash landed right in the middle of town square,” Steve pointed to the large crater behind him. A silver shell of a missile was stuck right into the broken fountain. 

“Any casualties?” 

“Not from the initial blast,” Steve frowned. “According to some eye witnesses, as soon as the smoke cleared out, a silver goo seeped out from the shell and went into the water system. There is a chance that these creatures are a result of nearby wildlife and household pets.”

“Poor Mr. Fluffy then,” Tony chuckled bitterly. “Any idea who sent it?” there were ton of crazies that the Avengers had fought in recent years, there was a high chance that it was one of them. 

Steve shook his head, “Our first goal is to clear out the city and then search for clues.”

Tony nodded, “Just tell me where you want me, Steve.”

His chest squeezed as Steve broke out into a warm smile. He hated it that look; it was all doe eyed and farm boy which Tony couldn’t resist. Which meant, where ever Steve wanted him it was not pleasant. Steve cupped his shoulder and squeeze it through the metal plating. “It is good to have you back, Tony,” he said in all honesty. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Tony didn’t want to admit that it was nice to hear. “If I get any monster goo on me, you are paying for the cleaning.”

“Done and done.” Steve winked. 

 

It wasn’t long until all the Avengers were huddle into the Quinjet after a successful mission. The remaining missile pieces were locked up in a seal container, the citizens were safe (with a free weekend trip in a hotel room while SHIELD scan the area), and the monster of the week was defeated. 

As Tony wasn’t sure that his suit could withstand a trip back home, he took the offer to flying with the others. Tony leaned into the plane’s seat, his body aching and throbbing all over. It was a good ache, it meant that he gave it all to save people. Why did he ever give this up? 

Tony’s heart squeezed when the answer came instantly. 

He wanted to protect Pepper. Give her a sense of mind. Give her a future she wanted. A home, family, kids, typical life. Tony had to give it to her after everything they had been through. She deserved the consolation prize. 

“Stark.” Thor’s quiet voice spook him right out of his thoughts. The thunder god took the empty seat next to him. “May I speak to you?”

“Well you are doing that now, blondie bear,” Tony squirmed up into his seat. “What is it?”

Thor’s eyes moved around the plane, which Tony found himself sharing his stare. Everyone else was busy with their own thing. Bruce was currently resting his eyes in his seat, Clint was busy polishing his arrow, and Steve was with Natasha in the cockpit. 

“My brother,” Thor spoke in a hush, which would explain why he was cautious. Tony had no idea what the others beside him, Bruce, and Thor but, he wasn’t going to take the chance. “I worry about his safety.”

Tony bit his inner cheek before he told Thor about what happened just hours ago. Thor might throw his hammer around in anger. “He is safe with me,” he didn’t bother to correct Thor. “I have the highest security, my Tower’s defenses are stronger than Fort Knox.”  
“Even so, dear friend,” Thor spoke solemnly. “Danger can come was swiftly as any other blade against a shield.”

“What does that even mean?” Tony questioned with a clip tone. His Tower was better than anything else SHIELD or the government could make. 

Thor’s scowl indicated that he really thought Tony would understand. “It means that no one is safe. There are always chances for your love ones to be put at risk; no matter the precautions.” 

Tony wasn’t keen on Thor’s tone. “How about I call up Jarvis and let him tell you that Liam is perfectly safe,” Tony slide the helmet back on. “Jarvis, do me a favor and tell Thor-Spot that Liam is perfect safe in the tower.” 

There was no reply.

“Jarvis?” Tony hissed into his helmet. “Jarvis! Answer me!”

It only took Tony half a second to know something was wrong. “Nat!” he yanked off his helmet. “How far until we get to Stark Tower?”

“Tony,” Steve answered instead of Natasha. “We are going to see Fury first.”

“We will be in there in ten minutes, Stark,” Natasha spoke over Steve. She nodded her head at Tony, understanding in her eyes. At least she was smart enough to hear the panic in his voice. 

“Stark? What’s going on?” Clint questioned. 

Tony felt all eyes on him, even Bruce who woke up after the shouts. “Jarvis is not responding to my calls. If I can’t reach him…” 

There was a heavy silence as they all knew what it meant that Jarvis was not responding. Either it meant someone hacked into the AI or was inside the building doing the business in person. None of them were good things.

“Nat,” Steve’s was back into leader mode. “Make it five.”

“On it, chief.” there was a sly grin as the assassin threw the Quinjet’s engines into overdrive. 

Everyone clung to anything solid as they moved faster into the sky. All Tony could think of was Pepper. He could only hope she was alright.

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...I am that cruel and leave you all with a cliff hanger :). Hopefully chapters will be this long in the future; as I can't see myself writing more than 5k words per chapter anymore (sad face).


	12. Chapter 12

Pepper’s screams were stifled when the knife pressed against her throat. Doctor Doom starred right at Liam, challenging him to take another step forward. Through the hollow eye sockets, Liam knew the message being conveyed. If he took one more step, he would throw Pepper over the edge. Doctor Doom kept himself on the ground but, Pepper was hovering over the edge of the open window. 

“Do you know who I am, boy?” he asked

Liam refused to show fear at the man. With his eyes set, and a long ice blade in his hands, he got into a basic fighting position. He was not going to let Doctor Doom get away with hurting Pepper. 

“Doctor Doom,” he kept his eyes solely on the madman but, Pepper was always in his vision. “Yeah…I remembered someone similar to you attacking my home.” 

Pepper kept herself still, both of them knowing it was worthless to try struggle out. Iron claws trumps physical force. She gave a yelp as Doctor Doom tucked her next to him, almost like a shield. “Then you know what I am here for.” 

“Your suit…” Liam knew that Tony would never let it fall back to Doctor Doom’s hands again. “I am sorry but I am pretty sure that Tony had already marked it as his. So….finders keepers.”

There was a haughty chuckle behind the mask “Oh, my William, my poor naïve boy.” that was a strange familiarity to his voice that sent shivers down Liam’s spine. “It is true that I came here for my creation…but, I also came for you. My little magic user.”

That made Liam’s back stiffen. “I am not your little anything,” Liam growled. “Let Miss Potts go or I’ll…”

“You will do what?” he challenged, Liam could hear the smirk in his voice. The villain ducked his head to look at Liam’s ice blade. “Hurt me with that popsicle?” 

Doctor Doom’s laugh sent Liam’s teeth on edge. Not taking it anymore of the disgusting sound, Liam ran forward, his blade swung up. Doctor Doom was faster than him. As Liam swung his blade towards Doctor Doom’s neck, Pepper was sent flying. As if time slowed down, Liam watched in horror as Pepper’s body tumbled over the edge of the window. 

With speed that Liam didn’t know he had, he dodge Doctor Doom’s grabby hand to run towards Pepper, his hand stretched out to grab her. “Miss Pot-” His fingers grabbed onto empty air. 

Her screams were spreading along the open air as Pepper fell. 

“Now, that she is out of the way,” Doctor Doom began, “Let us travel back home, dear Will-”  
Whatever the madman was going to say was lost in the wind. Liam ran the short distance to the window and jumped. Hard wind knocked into his ears, whipping against his face. Pepper’s body was thrashing, as if trying to grab onto something. Liam angled his body to an arrow, letting his body gain speed. 

As Liam neared Pepper, he could see her eyes were blown by fear and shock at seeing Liam falling towards her. He reached out and pulled the woman towards him. Over her red hair, Liam could see the approaching sidewalk down below. It was speeding towards them and soon they would both be pancakes. 

Liam squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to meet his end like this. ‘Please, I don’t want to die like this. I don’t want to be here.’

The dark asphalt was just in reach when Liam felt himself being pulled through a tube. His breath was caught as his body squeezed together. There was a crack of noise, like cutting through air, then he felt a twist to his torso. 

They skidded along the ground, Liam keeping Pepper close. As they came to a stop, Liam opened his eyes. Either this was heaven or they were in Tony’s lab. 

“M-Miss Potts?” Liam eased his grip around Pepper’s body. “Are you alright?”

Peppered looked as confused as Liam felt. She looked around the room in both relief and disbelief. “I…we were falling…” she whispered, as to reassure herself what just happened. 

“Yeah…” Liam swallowed, slowly sitting up. His body throbbed and tingled, sending spikes of adrenaline through him. “Now, we are here. Are you alright?”

Pepper nodded slowly, “I think so…yes,” she helped herself to stand. “I don’t know what just happened but we can’t stay here.”

As soon as she said it, the tower began to shake violently. Liam scrambled to his feet. “Was that…?”

“An explosion,” Pepper confirmed. Her lips were pulled tight but, she didn’t show any worry. She was the picture of strength. “It sounded like it came from above.”

“Why is he doing this?” Liam muttered in horror. It seemed like he was the reason for this but, why would anyone go to this extent?

“We can deal with those small details later,” Pepper grabbed his arm. “We need to get out of here fast before something worst happens.” 

“I rather not think about what could be worst,” Liam stated as Pepper pulled him along.   
\--

“I mean, it could be worst.” 

Tony glared down at Clint, his eyes alit with anger and, God help him, fear. The archer scooted backwards to avoid the glare. Tony turned back to the sight before them. Against the night skyline of the city, it was hard to see his own tower. With no lights going through it, it was pitch dark. 

Yet, there was no sign of any cause. There was no way that his tower’s power would be down, he made it so that it would run off its own circuits. Tony’s grip tighten against the back of Steve’s chair. 

“We will deal with whatever cause it, Tony,” Steve reassured him. And Tony almost believed him. “We have faced worst things together. You just have to put faith that Pepper is alright.”

“One thing about me, Cap,” Tony looked down at the man. “Is that I don’t believe in anything but myself.”

The Quinjet turned in the air and approached the docking station. The doors were sealed tight, thanks to the power outage. Natasha looked towards Tony, awaiting his permission. “Do it, Nat,”

The assassin flicked several switched and pulled up the gunnery joystick. She aimed the digital target on the screen to the doors, and pushed the red button. A missile zoomed towards the doors and hit its mark. The missile ripped through the docking doors like pieces of paper. Tony wasn’t even going to think about the cleanup afterwards. Natasha didn’t let the smoke clear before flying the Quinjet through the now open docking station. 

Tony didn’t wait for the jet to finish settling in before jumping out of it. He landed with a thud, his ankles protesting at the sudden force. There was a several thuds behind him, which turned out to be Steve and Thor. By the time the jet finished landing, Clint was already dropping down. 

“Alright,” Steve switched so easily into leader mode. “We need Tony to go to Jarvis’s central core and find out the issue. Clint, go with him for backup. Natasha and I will search the lower floors, Thor will go with Bruce.” 

Tony stepped forward, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, no can do, Steve-o,” Steve’s arched eyebrow urged Tony to continue. “Bruce isn’t in the best condition to fight.”

“He’s right,” the man in question stated. Bruce leaned against the open doorway of the ship. His eyes were sunken, as if he pulled several all-nighters. Bruce was nursing his side gently. “One of those creatures stabbed its claws into his side. It is healing but, with the other guy…it takes a while to for him to come back.”

The super solider sighed, “Alright. Clint, stay with Bruce at the Quinjet and see if you can contact SHIELD for any potential backup. Thor, go with Natasha and search the lower floors. I will go with Tony.”

“Woah, woah,” Tony held his hands up. “I don’t need to have an escort. I can manage anything on my own.”

Steve stepped closer, using his little added height to stare down at him. He stared right back at Steve, challenging him to stop him. Tony was suddenly reminded of the first time they did this little tango years ago. 

“I am not leaving you to get hurt, Tony,” Steve affirmed, his jaw set. “I am going with you.”

As much as Tony wanted to stay here and argue, the need to see if Pepper and Liam were alright outweighed it. “Fine,” Tony flipped his faceplate down. “But, we follow my lead.”

With a nod, Steve backed off. He looked around his teammates. “Avengers…fan out.” 

\--

The dust was choking his lungs as he and Pepper pushed themselves through the compact corridor. After finding the escape route behind a heavy, metal locker, the escape route turned out to be smaller than they thought. Liam let Pepper take the lead, seeing as she knew it better he did. After opening up the panel, Pepper muttered something about fifteen percent being smaller than she thought. 

The corridor wasn’t tight enough where they couldn’t move but, it wasn’t big enough for them to walk normally, they were forced to walk sideways. “Is this safe?” Liam had to ask after ducking his head from a pipe. 

“Tony built this with the thought that not even nuclear explosion could damage it. He called it the Twinkie Tunnel on the blueprint, ” Pepper informed him. “This tunnel snakes through the walls towards the emergency exit,” Liam heard her hand thumping against the walls. One thing that was the route was lacking was lights. “Liam, do you have…oh…”

A bright green light flickered on in the darkness. Liam was amazed as the light was coming from his hand. His left hand was tingling with energy as a ball of bright light filled the small space. He could see tiny wires running through the walls. 

“Does that usually happen?” Pepper pointed to his hand. 

When Liam flexed his hand, the ball dimmed and shrunk down. “No,” he held his palm out to let the light shine. “Not really…this is sort of new.” From what he knew from his mother, he knew this was magic. “This is…”

“Magic…” Pepper blinked in surprised. “Was your magic…that took us to Tony’s lab?”

Liam had no idea how to answer that. There was no way he could have teleported Pepper and himself without realizing it. There had to be something else in place. 

“Yes,” Liam didn’t want to make Pepper suspicious of him. He could see it in her eyes that she was unease by this. “I mean…what else is there to explain it?”

Pepper seemed to take that as answer for now. “Alright,” she looked around. “Could you move your light over here? There should be a ladder somewhere here.”

With Liam’s light guiding the way, they found the ladder leading down in quick succession. It was hard to see how far it went down, as his light could not penetrate that far deep. “You should go down first,” Pepper suggested. “Carry the light so we know where we are going.”

Liam agreed and they began the tight dance to shift their bodies around. “We need some butter,” Liam muttered which earned him a surprised laugh from Pepper. At last, Liam made it to the edge of the ladder. 

“Here goes nothing,” Liam stated as he maneuvered down the ladder. 

\--

“Your suit does not run on batteries, Tony?” Steve questioned

Behind his faceplate, he gave the captain a powerful glare. “No, Steven, it does not. It is self-sustain energy compacted into mini-arc reactors along the suit.”

“So…batteries, then?” he grinned

“Why does it matter what I run on?” Tony forced out, the flashlight attached to his suit guided their way. Without their footsteps, the whole place was silent. 

Steve’s answer surprised him. “Because I don’t want to find out that whoever or whatever shut down Jarvis can shut you down,” he replied simply. “I don’t you in trouble.”

“My suit and Jarvis’s systems are on different systems. I am my own. Oh, and Rogers? You keep this up and I will think you are trying to get into my suit, Roger,” Tony quipped. 

Steve chuckled, “Maybe.”

Tony cleared his throat and kept on moving, the journey towards Jarvis’s main hard drive was something Tony could do so in his sleep. What unnerved him the most was that someone was fiddling with Jarvis in his own home. It felt like something toxic was running through his veins. Tony should have noticed signs earlier; that something was wrong. He had to notice something! Maybe Steve picked up on Tony’s thoughts; that would explain the teasing, which helped the tension. 

Tony whirled on his feet, “Maybe? Oh, Steve…I do not do maybes. I do-” Steve’s hand slapped against his mouth. Despite the inch thick metal between it, it had the same effect. “What?”

Steve quickly shushed him. His eyes were looking around, his soft face turning stoic. “Do you hear that?” he whispered quickly. 

It was weird how quickly Steve could inspire Tony to being serious. He didn’t have Steve’s inhuman hearing but, he did have audio equipment when he enable. At first it sounded like mice crawling through the walls but, the noise turned heavier and there were hushed voices. Tony followed the sound with his eyes, landing on an air vent grate that came from the ceiling. With a quick wave, Tony directed the super solider into action.

Steve was light on his feet as he bounced over. He aimed his shield and with a flick of his wrist, sent it skyrocketing. There was a shout of shock from within as the shield cut a hole into the crate. Tony heard them scramble back before the grate gave way and titled down. 

“I got them!” Tony shouted, running towards the opening just as screams started with a body sliding forward. 

A body landed right into Tony’s open arms. It was so lightweight that Tony didn’t flinched at the sudden weight. Tony looked down at who he captured and he was met with green light blinding his face. 

“Liam?!” A voice screamed from above. 

Tony whipped his head around, his flashlight aiming towards the opening in the air duct. Pepper was on her hands and knees in the air vent. “Tony…” Pepper sounded like she hadn’t seen him in forever. 

“Pepper…” Under his flashlight, he could see that Pepper was not in the best shape. She had cuts along her clothes, her face was dirty, and she looked exhausted. “What happened?”

“Can you let me go now?” Tony almost forgot he was holding someone. That someone turned out to be Liam, his soft face scowling. 

“Sorry, kid,” he lowered Liam to the floor. As Steve was currently helping Pepper down, Tony directed his questions to Liam. “What happened?”

Liam sighed, the green light fading. It took him now to realize the green light was coming from Liam’s hands. “We were attacked,” he answered back. “Doctor Doom attacked us.”

Tony shared a look with Steve through his faceplate. Doctor Doom had never been this bold before, to attacked the Avengers Tower upfront. He always liked to lure people into environments he controlled. Unless he happened to make the environment to suit him. 

“He shut down Jarvis…” Tony’s blood became to boil. “He caused this.”

“But how?” Steve asked the million dollar question. 

“Does it matter?!” Tony shouted, causing Steve and Pepper flinching. No one messed with anything that belonged to him. “He is in my tower. He attacked my tower, he attacked my home, and he attacked what is mine.”

“Tony…” Pepper’s hand gripped his metal covered arm. Her eyes were searching for his through the faceplate. “Let Steve and the others deal with Doom. We need to get out of here.”

“No!” Tony threw her arm off him. “This is personal.”

“You idiot!” Surprisingly it was not Pepper or Steve that yelled at him so sharply. Liam was glaring at him, his blue eyes dark with anger. Tony couldn’t block the hand that smacked upside his head. “That is just what Doom wants.” 

“What do you know what he wants?” Tony said accusingly. “This is the second time that he has attacked me…when I am with you. There is a connection.”

“I don’t know what he wants with me,” Liam admitted. “But, I know that he wants you to get angry so you go after him with barely any equipment. There is no telling how many of his robots are with him at this moment. You are unprepared either way.”

“Tony…who is he?” Steve’s eyes were on Tony. It must have been a sight for a blond haired Loki-wannabe scolding Tony Stark in the middle of a darken hallway. 

Liam jumped in his place, as if he hadn’t realized that Captain America was behind him. Liam quickly regain his cool. “I am Liam Talbot,” 

“Liam…” Steve said effortlessly as he could. “It sounds like you have a plan, right? Let’s hear it.”

Tony watched as Liam chewed on his bottom lip until it was red and plump. He felt his chest contract. “Well…” Being in the spotlight wasn’t Liam’s main strengths. “Doctor Doom wants me…why not give him me?”

“No!” Pepper protested at his suggestion. 

“That is insane,” Tony growled at his stupid idea. “I will not let you be in the arms of that man.”

“And I will not let anyone be hurt because of me,” Liam argued. He answered Tony’s disapproval glare with his own. “I will not let him win either.”

The tension between them became so thick that it was choking the air. It was only until Steve cleared his throat did the world refocused. “Let’s hear what he has to say, Tony,” he suggested. “He might surprise us.” 

“Fine…I give up. It’s his funeral if it all fails. So…let’s hear it.”

Liam sucked in a breath before he began, “Seeing as he wants me, for some reason, we give me to him. We get his attention, using me as bait. When we do, I hightail it out of there and let him fall into a trap. Perhaps have him pass through a barrier that will shut down his systems. Once he is down, we go in for the kill and end this.”

“Simple but, impressive,” Tony grinned underneath his faceplate. “I like it. Only issue is that I might have a machine that will do so…we don’t have the power to do it.”

“What about this?” Liam stepped forward and placed his hand over Tony’s chest. “Use some energy from your arc reactor to supply it.”

Tony looked down at the hand covering the top of his many arc reactors. Against the light, the skin of Liam’s fingers were almost transparent. They looked so fragile. “Alright,” he wrapped his arm around Liam’s waist, pulling him against him, gaining a startled yelp. “Steve, take Pepper to JARVIS’s central core. She knows how to restart him. We will let you know when we are done and where we can meet up.”

Pepper’s eyes went from Tony to Liam then back again. “Alright…” she said it so slowly, as if she was unsure. “But, be careful.”

“Oh, honey, I am always careful,” Tony chuckled. “I will see you guys at the other side.”

\--

“Hand me that copper wire,” Tony instructed, his eyes focused on the piece of arc reactor in his hand. Without the suit on, he looked more at home. 

“Sure thing,” Liam grabbed the wire for him. He kept himself close to Tony, just in case Doom started to appeared. “Are…are you sure they are alright?”

Last time they heard from the other Avengers through Tony’s earpiece was that they spotted several Doombots in the area. Before it cut out, Clint and Thor were fighting off several of them. 

“They have been through worst,” Tony mused out loud. He solder the wire to the tip of the compact machine. It would give off a pulse of energy that would shut down all active machinery in a hundred yards. “You will be fine, Liam.”

Liam swallowed, “I am not so sure, Tony…” he admitted out loud. “You all are putting in so much effort for me. Why?”

Tony looked up at him over the magnifying glass. “Because that’s what we do. As soon as we are done here, we will lure Doom in, let him pass over the barrier, and I take you out of them as quickly as I can.”

He sighed, running fingers through his hair. Today seemed like a nightmare that never seemed to end. He felt helpless. All his life, someone took care of him. The moment he managed to escape, he was being saved. Only difference was that people were getting injured for him. 

“There! It’s done!” Tony looked as proud as a new father with his child. 

“Good,” Liam’s smile was tense. He knew that Tony could do it, he was that brilliant. 

Tony’s face fell as he looked at Liam. He got up and moved closer to Liam, “Are you alright, Liam? This is your plan.”

“I know,” Liam breathed out. “I know. It’s just…what if something goes wrong?”

Tony laugh was almost mocking of his worry, “Don’t pull a Murphy’s Law on me, kid. We will be fine.” He sounded so firm on it, as if he knew the outcome. That Tony wouldn’t get hurt.

Liam’s stomach tighten at the idea that he would. Despite everything, even his own mother’s warnings, he wouldn’t see Tony hurt for him. Not again. His eyes caught something that would help him. 

“Tony…” Liam whispered. He took a step forward, bridging the gap between them. He stopped until they were nearly chest to chest. Tony looked at him, his expression mixed with confusion and anticipation.

“Yeah, Liam?” 

“Just in case, something happens…” Liam swallowed, licking his lips. “There is one thing I want to do.”

He pushed down all his nerves and leapt for him. Liam’s hand gripped the back of Tony’s head, pulling him down for an awkward kiss. He clashed his lips against Tony’s in a brutal force that made the older man stumble. Liam’s heart clenched with worry that Tony wouldn’t answer him.

Tony surprised him by wrapping his arms around him, pulling him closer, continuing the kiss. Tony’s lips were warm and soft. He took the reigns as he slide his tongue through Liam’s mouth. Liam’s moan was swallowed by the kiss, his hands sliding downwards. Liam felt himself pushed against the counter as Tony broke the kiss to kiss along his mouth to his neck. When Tony’s teeth caught his flesh, Liam broke out a gasp. 

“Tony…” He breathed, his body arching towards him. His name only sent Tony further in. Liam’s hand wrapped around something hard and solid. “I am so sorry.”

Before Tony could reply, Liam whammed his weapon against his head. Tony fell like a sack of potatoes. He stood above the man, holding what turned out to be a wench in hand. He held his breath, his eyes searching for any signs of blood. When none seem to come, his breath eased and he dropped his weapon. 

“I can’t let anyone get hurt because of me.” Liam spoke to Tony, as if he could hear him. 

Liam grabbed the electric damper from the counter and broke out into a run. 

\--

Glass cracked under his feet as he slowly made his way into the penthouse. With the rush of the New York City air, filled with a chorus of traffic and life, Liam had no idea if Doom heard him come in. His question was answered when the crazed man spoke from his perch in front of the window, his green cape flapping in the wind. 

“And so the puppy has returned home,” Doom looked over his shoulder at Liam. “To his master.”

Liam kept his eyes open for any signs of Doctor Doom’s other machines. How many he brought with him this time, Liam didn’t know but they were dangerous no matter how many they were.   
“Enough,” Liam stopped in between the room. “Call off your Doombots.”

“Doombots?” He laughed like it was a childish joke. “I won’t leave until I get what I want.”

“Me.” His voice sounded hollow and unattached, as if someone else was saying it. “You want me. It has always been me.”

Doom turned so elegantly it was an amazement to know it was a suit. “And the last pin is dropped,” he could hear the smirk. “I am surprised, given who you are, you never realized it sooner.”

“I am a nobody,” Liam swore, half hoping it would make the man back down. “I have always been a nobody and I always will.”

“My dear, William,” Each step Doom took towards him, Liam stepped back two more. “Do you really believe that? I have no idea what Amora has told you but, you are certainly not nobody.”

“If this, prep talk, is supposed to make me like you…You can forget about that.” He growled, his hackles raised. 

Liam dared one more step back before he realize they were not alone. He bit his cheek to keep from yelping in pain as metal claws gripped his forearms. Two Doombots stood next to him, their hands wrapped around his arms, trapping him. He kept himself calm, knowing all too well that struggling was going to this worst; whatever this was. 

Doctor Doom took the last few steps towards him, stopping in front of him. He tipped Liam’s head back with two of his metal fingers, even though they were already nearly eye to eye. “Did you mother even tell you why you were brought into this world?” He paused, his soulless searching Liam. “The reason why she spent so much time on you? Did you even bothered to question your existence? Why you are alive?”

Liam wanted to run and hide at this moment. Each word Doom said was like a punch in the gut. “No,” he attempted to keep his voice even. “But I am sure I wasn’t meant to spend my days listen to you jabber on.”

His face reeled to the side as Doctor Doom struck him. Liam’s cheek was throbbing so painfully that he felt he might pass out. He could faintly feel the warm liquid running down from his split lip. Liam only stayed standing thanks to the Doombots. “You are so much like him,” he spat out. “It is sickening.”

“Who?” Liam spat out blood onto the floor. He rolled his head back to look back at Doom. “Let me guess…Loki?” The way Doom fell silent, he knew the answer. That only added fuel to the burning inferior inside. “Yeah, I have heard that way too often lately. But, let me tell you something, I am not him. I am William Talbot. That is all I am and ever will be.”

Liam’s gaze was cold as he stared at Doctor Doom, through the metal faceplate that didn’t carry an actually person, he had no idea of the effects. For a second, he thought the Doombot in front of him just shut down by some miracle, but that hope vanished when it moved. He nodded his head to the Doombot to his left in silent order. Liam witness the Doombot step up to the one in front of him. 

The other Doombot took up his brother’s place, gripping hard on Liam’s arms with two hands. The one that left opened up the chest cavity of the one in front of Liam. His breath caught as he saw what was inside. A large green gem, the size of an apple, flashed in green light, like a heartbeat. Wisps of smoke slid off the gem, curling in the air like inviting fingers. The Doombot reached inside and ripped it out of its confines. The Doombot dropped in a heap. 

The Doombot, held the green gem tight in its grip, as it took its brother’s former spot. As if nothing happened, the machine spoke in Viktor Doom’s voice. “This is you, my dear boy,” his gaze was on the gem. Liam’s body hummed, arching towards the gem without any regard. “And I here to help you remind you of your true purpose.”

Liam couldn’t dodge it if he could. Doom thrust his hand towards Liam’s chest, his fist punching its way in. His breath caught as he stared down at the hand right into his chest. It felt like someone was gripping onto his very soul, ripping it apart only to reform it. 

As Doom extracted his hand, the other Doombot’s loosen his grip. Liam fell to his knees, his eyes turning glassy as he stared up at the madman. “T-” Liam fell down and was swallowed by darkness. 

\--

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went through many reworkings and struggle. And again...I leave you with a cliffhanger. Sorry, not sorry :) Leave comments and kudos! I love you all so damn much!


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